


Michael

by billfan80



Category: NY-LON
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-04
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-04 07:17:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/708036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/billfan80/pseuds/billfan80
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been 8 months since Edie left Michael heart broken but could a chance meeting with a beautiful stranger end his pain</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created 
> 
> no copywright infringement intended

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Michael looked up at the TV as the bubbly brunette on the screen with the fake smile raved about visiting New York, seeing the sites of the big apple and the adventure that awaited. Grabbing the remote he turned off the TV and closed his eyes for a moment trying not to let the memories swamp him before draining the remaining beer in the bottle that he clutched a little too tightly. It had been 8 months since Edie had walked out of his life and gone back to New York, since his marriage proposal had been a disaster and she crushed him and it hurt him to think of what could have been.

 

Raph stood at the door looking at his friend, he was worried about Michael. Since Edie had left Raph had seen his once confident and happy friend become low and lacking in self-confidence and seeing him like this seemed wrong. Raph walked into the room and sat on the chair opposite Michael. "Mate this has gone on long enough, you need to get out of this flat and have some fun" he said looking his friend in the eye, "your horoscope says it’s not good to dwell on the past, and it's time to look forward mate.”

 

Michael looked at his friend, he knew Raph was worried about him and wanted to help but Michael just wasn't in the mood. He stood up, "Thanks mate but I’m just going to grab an early night." Raph walked over to the coat rack, picked up Michael’s coat and threw it at him. "Just one drink Mike then I’ll leave you alone." Michael sighed, he knew Raph wouldn't give up. "Alright, but just one drink and you're buying" Raph smiled. "You got it mate.”

 

The pub was crowded and the music playing on the jukebox sucked, of all the music in the world they could be playing, they were playing some crappy pop music. Michael looked around seeing Raph grabbing one of the only remaining tables and followed his friend. "I'll head to the bar" he said, he knew if Raph went they would be stuck here for hours as his friend had a way of finding something to talk about with everyone he met on his way to the bar. "I’ll have a beer" said Raph handing Michael a £20 note.

 

Michael fought his way to the bar narrowly avoiding being elbowed, stepped on or shoved on his way. Reaching the bar he had to wait a couple of minutes before getting served. "What can I get for you" the barman asked trying to be heard above the noise and chatter of the pub. "Two beers please, bottles please mate" said Michael. "Sorry mate" the barman said, "we’ve only got draught left." Great thought Michael, he didn't want to be here and now he couldn't even get the beer he wanted, the beer that he had plenty of in the fridge at home. "Ok, two draughts then" Michael said, wishing he was at home. The barman placed the two pint glasses on the bar. "That'll be £5.60 please."

 

Michael handed over a note and then waited as the barman got his change, stuffing the change in his jeans pocket, he picked up the two pint glasses and turned walking straight into the most beautiful women he had ever seen, a beautiful woman who now had half the beer from one of the pint glasses soaking through her dress. Michael looked at the women and mortified at what he had done said the first thing that came to mind "Fuck."

 

 

"Shit I am so sorry, I didn't even see you, I… " Michael was mortified as he looked at the beautiful red head in front of him. She looked up angrily about to give him a piece of her mind but the moment she looked into his beautiful blue eyes she completely forgot what she was going to say. "Umm it's ok" she stuttered, "it happens, it was an accident.” Michael smiled. "Hi I’m Michael" he said. "I'm Grace" she replied. “Beautiful name" he said looking into her deep brown eyes. "Thank you" she replied shyly.

 

The two of them looked at each other and the world around them vanished until Michael got shoved from behind causing him to spill more beer on her. "Shit, damn I’m sorry" he said but before he could continue she began to giggle and it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. "Can I buy you a drink" he said nervously, "That'd be great thanks" she replied before adding "anything but beer" making him smile a smile that made her weak in the knees. "What would you like" he asked and Grace had to stop herself from answering you but instead she asked for a glass of red wine, excusing herself to go try and dry her dress while Michael bought the drinks.

 

Michael quickly took the remaing full pint glass over to where Raph was sitting. The table was now full with a group of Raph’s friends that Michael knew to say hello to but that was about it. "Here's your pint mate, I’ll be back in a bit" he said smiling. "Where are you going" Raph asked curiously, he hadn't seen Michael smile like this for a long time. "I met this women, she's beautiful, man" he said. "How'd you meet her" Raph asked and laughed as Michael explained how he had turned and spilled his drink all over her and how he wished the ground had opened up and swallowed him. " Well mate go have fun, see your horoscope was right," and laughed as Michael walked away to go to the bar.

 

The barman asked what Michael wanted and he ordered a bottle of Italian red and two glasses. He paid and spotted a small table just big enough for two, as he made his way over to the table he spotted Grace and motioned to her that he was grabbing a table and she smiled and walked over to him. He placed the bottle and the glasses down and pulled Grace’s chair out for her and as she sat, he moved his hand and brushed her shoulder slightly, sending a shiver through them both.

They chatted for hours, Michael telling Grace all about his job and his family, a little scared he would frighten her away but she hung on his every word. He told her that his parents where no longer alive, that his Mum was something special and how his Dad had drunk himself to death. He told her he had a brother Milo and how he had basically abandoned his son Angelo and how he had been a surrogate Dad to Angelo for the last few years and his sister Lauren was at the University of Leeds studying Psychology and that she stayed at his flat some weekends. He told her how he had shared the flat with Raph for years now and how he was his best friend.

 

Michael couldn't take his eyes off her, as she told him all about herself, how she was a chef and worked at a little restaurant, she loved to cook and it had been her passion since she was a child, she told him she was an only child, how she loved music and loved seeing bands live, that she loved going to the cinema and also just watching a DVD at home. And books, she talked of her love for books, how she had more books than space and how she had recently had to buy a kindle because she had run out of room to keep them at home. Michael loved to hear her talk, she would get the most adorable look on her face as she talked of what she loved.

 

A little while later Michael excused himself to go to the Gents and on the way back he bumped into Raph who was on his way out. "We're headed to a party in White Chapel, do you wanna come" he asked, already knowing what Michael’s answer would be. "No mate I umm, I think I’m just going to stay here" he said a little shyly. Raph chuckled and told Michael he would see him in the morning and left with the group of his friends.

 

Michael walked back to the table and smiled as he saw Grace smile at him. After asking if she would like another drink, which she politely declined, he sat and they talked a little more until Grace looked at the clock and realised it was almost midnight. "Michael, I’m really sorry but I have to go, I have the lunch shift tomorrow and have to run some errands before work so I have to be up early" she said a little sadly.

 

He didn't want this evening to end but he also didn't want rush things. "It's ok, perhaps we can go out on Friday, maybe grab a meal and see a film, if you'd like" he asked hopefully. "I'd love to" she answered smiling softly, inwardly thrilled. He smiled a smile that if she wasn't already sitting would have knocked her off her feet. He took his phone out. "Can I have your number so we can arrange for Friday" he asked, feeling like a teenager again asking for his first date. "Sure” she replied and gave him the number which he carefully added into his phonebook, making sure he didn't make any mistakes. Grace took out the phone and did the same, carefully adding his number. "Can I walk you to get your taxi " he asked. What he really wanted was to go with her, not to spend the night - not that he didn't want to, he really did, but to make sure she got there ok but he guessed it may not be a good idea to suggest this as Grace seemed pretty independent.

They waited outside a little while for a taxi, the air which had been warm earlier had turned chilly. Grace shivered, cursing to herself for not bringing a coat. Michael noticed and slipped his coat off and placed it around her shoulders "Here put this on, I don't want you catching a chill" he said. "Thank you" she replied. She was genuinely touched, the last guy she had met had said she should have brought a jacket, and stood there watching her shiver in the night air.

 

The taxi arrived and she went to take the coat off. "Keep hold of it" he insisted, "you can give it back to me on Friday night" he said with a breath taking smile. "Thank you" she smiled before reaching up shyly and kissing him gently on the cheek. "I'll see you on Friday" she said with a soft smile. "Count on it" said Michael, smiling back. She got into the taxi and he watched it drive away, Grace waving to him from the back seat, he took a breath, she had only kissed him on the cheek but the feeling of her lips against his skin was like nothing he had ever felt before and he knew he would never be the same.

 

Grace had changed into her pj's and brushed her teeth, she made her way back into her bedroom. She hadn't stopped smiling since the taxi drove away, she couldn't believe her luck, Michael seemed like a great guy, gorgeous, funny, and sweet and a real gentleman, she wasn't crazy she knew it could all be an act but something told her he was for real. When she had kissed his cheek, she had felt something that was completely new and she knew she had to see him again, that life as she knew it was changed for her forever. As she walked over to her bed , the text message notification sounded on her phone, she picked it open and took a breath as she saw it was from Michael, she was suddenly afraid he was texting to cancel their date but when she opened the message she couldn't help but smile as the words.

Hi Grace, I just wanted to say what a great time I had tonight and I can't wait to see you again on Friday. Sweet dreams beautiful, Michael

Grace lay back on the bed and squealed a little, unable to wipe the smile from her face. She sat up and replied.

Michael had been checking his phone every few seconds suddenly afraid she wouldn't reply, his heart jumped as the text came through and with shaky hands he opened the message and smiled.

Hi Michael, I had a great time too, I’m really looking forward to Friday, sweet dreams too handsome, thank you for making me smile, Grace xx

That night they both had very sweet dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Michael awoke from a wonderful dream, he had been on a picnic with Grace in the park and they were the only ones there. They both lay on the blanket their bodies pressed against each other as he kissed her tenderly, his hand in her hair holding her to him gently. When his alarm had gone off he woke with a smile. Before even getting out of bed he reached for his phone and read Grace's message from last night. He hit reply and typed 'Morning beautiful, hope you slept well, have a great day, see you on Friday night, I wouldn't miss it for the world... Michael.' He hit send and smiled as he waited to see if she would reply

Grace stepped out of the shower and began to towel dry her hair, she had needed a cold shower after the dream she had last night which involved Michael turning up at the restaurant just as she closed up and taking her right there on one of the tables. She stepped over the bedside table and picked up her phone, her face broke into an even bigger smile when she saw that little envelope indicating she had a message. She tapped on the message and sat down as she read it, smiling as she read his words, she couldn't believe how lucky she was and they hadn't even had a real date yet. Fumbling with her phone she replied 'Morning Handsome, hope you slept well too, I did, have a great day too, I'm counting down the hours till Friday, I wouldn't miss it either, Grace.'

 

Michael sat drinking his coffee, he couldn't stop reading Grace's text and smiling to himself. He had woken up with a renewed sense of hope for the future and that is something he hadn't felt since Edie left him. He looked at the message again grinning when suddenly a loud beeping sounded from behind him made him jump up, "Shit" he said as he saw black smoke coming from the toaster. He quickly grabbed a tea towel waving it trying to clear the smoke before trying to remove the now cremated toast from the toaster "Fuck" he said as he burned his fingers, dropping the toast on the counter before going to the window opening it.

Raph came in looking exhausted and hung-over. “What are you doing mate, its seven am and a Sunday what’s with all the noise?" Michael looked guiltily at Raph. "Sorry man, I guess I got a bit distracted" he said. "With what" asked Raph as he got the broom to push the little button to reset the smoke alarm? "Well I got a text message from Grace, the beautiful woman I met last night and I was reading it again and I guess I forgot about my toast" Michael said with a guilty smile. Raph just laughed and said "Well I'm going back to bed" and as he reached the stairs he said "Hey Mike, it's good to see you smile mate." "Thanks man" Michael replied smiling.

 

He just couldn't wait to see Grace again and he wanted her to know he was thinking about her but didn't want to call her at work, then he got an idea and throwing his burned toast in the bin, he grabbed his phone, his keys and his jacket and headed out the door.

 

Grace pulled up in the car park at the back of the little restaurant, she had been running errands for hours and now she was about to start work. Turning off the ignition she took her keys out before grabbing her phone and reading Michael’s messages again with a big grin on her face. Finally she forced herself to put her phone in her bag and she got out of the car and walked into the restaurant.

 

She said ‘hi’ to her work friends and put her coat into the small cloak room which was reserved for the staff. Her best friend Erin came running through the kitchen giddier than Grace had ever seen her, she was practically bouncing. "Well, who are they from" she asked excitedly. "Hi Erin, I'm fine thank and how are you" Grace said laughing. "Yeah yeah, hi but come on Grace, who are they from" Erin asked again. "Ok I have no idea what you are on about" Grace said genuinely confused at what her friend was talking about. Instead of answering, Erin grabbed her friend and dragged her into the dining area of the restaurant and pointed to a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

 

Grace walked over to the table and looked at them stunned, they were stunning Lillies and Orchids, her favourite flowers, in purples and pinks, and whites and they were the most beautiful flowers Grace had ever seen. She took the small envelope out of the little plastic holder it sat in and opened it and smiled, taking in Michael’s elegant hand writing.

 

'Hi beautiful, here's a little something to say I'm thinking of you, Michael'. Erin stood looking at her like she would burst if Grace didn't tell her who they were from. "Ok ok, I met someone last night, his name's Michael and I met him in the Elephant and Rabbit when I called in for a quick drink after work." Erin grinned at her friend "So what does he do, what does he look like, how is he in bed." Grace was always shocked by her friend’s forwardness but answered her before she blushed as she remembered her dream. "He's a banker, he's gorgeous with the most stunning blue eyes and I only met him last night. We had a drink and talked that's all, we have a date on Friday." Erin looked at her friend, she had never heard Grace talk like that about anyone before, it wasn't what she said but how she said it, her friend was smitten and Erin was pleased, she just hoped that this Michael was a nice guy and that Grace didn't get hurt again.

 

Michael sat with the TV on, he wasn't watching it, it was just noise in the background. He'd been home around four hours. He sat with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. He had been checking his phone every two minutes to see if Grace had sent text to him about the flowers but so far his phone had been silent. Doubt began to creep in, maybe she didn't like him as much as he hoped she did, maybe she hated the flowers, maybe he had come over too strong and it had frightened her away. He mentally kicked himself, they hadn't even been on a date yet and he had already screwed this up.

Just then his phone beeped to indicate a text message and Michael took a deep breath shakily opening the message before breathing a sigh of relief, he smiled as he read Grace's words. 'Hi Michael, I am so sorry for not texting you earlier, we got slammed at work with the lunch time rush, it was even busier today than it usually for a Sunday for some reason. Thank you so much for the flowers, they are so beautiful, I love them, I can't believe you remembered what my favourite kind are, that is very sweet. I'm thinking about you too, in fact and I'm sorry if this comes over a bit strong so soon but I haven't stopped thinking about you since I left the pub last night, I can't wait till Friday, Grace.'

Michael clutched the phone to his chest and smiled, she couldn't stop thinking about him either, he read the message again before replying. 'Hi Grace, sorry work was busy, hopefully you can relax now, I am so glad you liked the flowers, I hoped you would find them as beautiful as I find you, and you weren't coming over too strong, I haven't stopped thinking about you either, Friday can't come soon enough, Michael.’ He sat back and closed his eyes, he hadn't even had a real date with Grace yet but he knew that his future was with this amazing women.

Grace entered her flat, being extra careful not to damage the beautiful bouquet she treasured before she placed it a lovely vase her mum had bought her for her birthday one year. She had messaged Michael as soon as she had got in the car outside the restaurant and his reply had come through while she had been driving home. She walked into the kitchen placing the flowers on the kitchen counter, she was so happy, she had never felt this way about anyone, she was falling for Michael and in a big way and it scared her a little, she didn't have a great history with relationships, the ones she had hadn't lasted long and she blamed herself for that at first before she came to realise that the men she had dated had been the problem, she had kissed a few frogs and she hoped that maybe this time she had found her prince.

She took her phone from her bag and opened Michael's message and squealed again as she read his words, she couldn't believe how lucky she was and she decided to take a chance, she took a deep breath and pressed the call button next to Michael's name, the phone rang a few times and Grace was just about to hang up when a beautiful voice answered. "Hello Grace." She smiled before answering. "Hi Michael, I hope you don't mind me ringing." "No not at all" he said. Grace paused for a second before speaking, "I know this is short notice but well I was wondering if you would like to meet for a drink tonight, I know we both have work in the morning" "I'd love to" Michael said quickly before she changed her mind. "The Elephant at about sevenish" he asked. "Sounds perfect" she said relieved. "See you then beautiful" he replied. She said bye and then ran into her room in a panic wondering what she was going to wear.

Michael smiled, he couldn't wait to see her again even if it was only for a couple of hours. He went to his wardrobe and pulled out a cool t-shirt and some jeans, he wanted to look good but relaxed. He had never felt so excited but nervous. He made his way into the bathroom and started the shower, taking a quick look in the mirror and deciding he didn't need a shave, he stripped of his clothes and stepping into the shower, the warm water running over his body, he stepped under the spray and closed his eyes. He thought about Grace, he pictured her beautiful face, her perfect soft hair, her lips that just begged him to kiss them, her perfect body, she was perfect, thin but not skinny with curves that he wanted to run his hands over. As he thought about her, and the water ran down his body he felt himself stir, just the thought of her made his body react, he tried to think of something else other than her, anything else but the more he tried the more he saw her in his mind and the harder he got. He groaned, he wanted her so badly, he wanted to lose himself in her. He quickly soaped himself up trying to calm down but nothing worked. He turned the water to cold and took himself in his hand and began to stroke himself picturing Grace's small smooth hand instead of his own, he moaned as he moved his hand faster, gripping tighter, hell he wanted her badly, and as he came he cried out her name.

Grace sat at her dressing table and finished putting on her make-up, just enough to notice but not enough to make her look like a clown. She had taken yet another cold shower, washed and dried her hair so it was perfectly silky and straight and put on a lovely purple dress and black shoes. She smiled a secret smile to herself, this morning when she had been running her errands she had picked up a few sets of sexy lingerie and was wearing a matching black and purple set now, not that she was planning on sleeping with Michael tonight but she wanted to be prepared just in case. She picked up her bag and went to the window as the taxi she had ordered pulled up outside. After locking up she went down to the taxi and made her way to the Elephant and Rabbit to meet Michael.

Michael sat in the pub waiting for her, his shower had helped cool him down for now but he had no doubt that as soon as he saw Grace he would be as hot and bothered as before. He stood as she made her way through the door, smiling at him and walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Hi" they both said at the same time and laughed. "Can I get you a drink" Michael asked looking into her eyes. "A glass of red wine would be nice" she answered. "Coming right up" he said and made his way to the bar.

Grace sat at the table, a little nervous, all she wanted to do was tell Michael she wanted to go and that she wanted him to go home with her but she didn't want to seem easy so she quietly squirmed in her seat instead. He came back from the bar with two glasses of red wine and placed them on the table before moving his chair a little closer to her and sitting down. He smiled at her. "I'm glad you called," "Me too" she replied shyly. Michael looked at her and before he could stop himself he said "You are so beautiful." Grace blushed and he thought it was the most adorable thing in the world. "Thank you" she said "so are you, umm I mean, you're hot umm…" Michael smiled at her again and said thanks and they both laughed.

They talked for the next couple of hours and when it reached nine o’clock they both knew they had to go, both had work early the next morning, Michael had to be at work by seven am and Grace even earlier, she had to be in by five thirty in the morning for the breakfast shift but neither one wanted to say goodbye. As they stood outside waiting for Grace's taxi, she turned to Michael. "I didn't bring your jacket, I was going to bring it on Friday, is that ok" she asked. "Of course" he replied, "it means I get to see you again."

The taxi pulled up at the curb and Grace leaned up to kiss Michael on the cheek but as she did he turned slightly to do the same and their lips brushed against each other, the fire that shot through them surprised them both and they pulled away and looked at each other. It had barely been a kiss but it was electric, their eyes meeting again and in an instant Grace was in his arms and they kissed passionately.

Michael felt a bolt go through him and he felt himself harden again and he knew by the moan from Grace that she felt it too and he wanted to get in that taxi with her so badly but he knew when they finally did spend the night together it would be perfect and on a day when they could wake up in each other’s arms and he could hold her.

They both reluctantly pulled away and looked at each other smiling "I'll see you Friday" she said. "Count on it" he said before leaning forward and kissing her one more time. Grace got into the taxi and Michael watched it pull away. He missed her as soon as she had gone and he couldn't wait for Friday and he was determined to make it perfect. He took his phone out and began to write a text to Grace.  
'Hi Beautiful, thanks for a great night, and a wonderful kiss, talk tomorrow, Michael,' he pressed send. Just as he did his Phone beeped and he smiled seeing the message was from Grace. 'Hi Handsome, I had a great time and that kiss was magical, I can't wait till Friday, Grace.' He smiled and a realisation hit him, it had only been two days but he was in love and he didn't want it any other way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Michael couldn't believe how slowly this week had gone. He hadn't been able to concentrate at work, he had sat thinking about Grace with a smile on his face all week and his co-workers couldn't help but notice. He had always been a happy guy but during these last few months since Edie had left him he had been so down, he hadn't socialised outside of work and had seemed so sad in the office that his colleagues, friends and even his boss had been worried about him but now he seemed like the old Michael and everyone was glad to see him smile again. Even his boss had cut him some slack at work this week, he was glad that his best salesman seemed to be getting back to how he used to be.

 

It had seemed like the longest week, each day had dragged, all he had wanted was for it to be Friday. He wanted to see Grace again. They had either called or texted each other every day since their drink on Sunday night and Michael couldn't stop thinking about the kiss they had shared. He had never had a kiss like that and he couldn't wait to kiss her again. He had dreamed of her every night and she was in his thoughts all day. When he returned home from work on Friday, he walked into his room whistling and looked at his clothes hanging up ready for that night, his favourite jeans and a cool t-shirt. He smiled, he had been smiling pretty much non-stop since he had met Grace and he had never been happier.

 

After showering and dressing he put on just a touch of Tom Ford aftershave, grabbed his coat and keys and left the flat. He headed downstairs to where the taxi was waiting to take him to the restaurant they had chosen to meet at.

Michael wanted tonight to be perfect. They would decide when they got to the cinema what they wanted to watch depending on what was due to start when they arrived after their meal. They had agreed on the restaurant they wanted to go to and on Monday Michael had rung and booked an intimate table for two. He had called again on Thursday to check everything was ok with the reservation, just to make sure. They had chosen a place called Randals, an excellent restaurant that served great food, it wasn't expensive, Michael didn't want to seem like he was showing off or flaunting how much he made and Grace had told him how she hated those kind of restaurants that served tiny portions of food for extortionate prices and when he had asked her if she had any ideas as to the best place she suggested Randals as she had heard great things about it. 

 

The Taxi pulled up outside and Michael paid the driver and got out. He looked around for Grace but there was no sign of her. He started to worry that maybe she had changed her mind when the text notification on his phone sounded. He took his phone out of his pocket and saw Grace's name on the screen and trembling slightly he opened up the message and breathed a sigh of relief when he read it. 'Hi Michael, the taxi is stuck in traffic, I'm five minutes away. Grace.' He quickly texted back, 'Hi Beautiful, that's fine I'll wait outside for you. Michael.' He pressed send and stood by the window and waited for the women he had fallen in love with.

 

Grace looked in the mirror, she had changed her outfit ten times already and still couldn't decide what to wear. She had just put on a beautiful silk purple dress with flowers trailing down on the left hand side of the skirt and she considered trying on one more thing until she looked at the clock. "Shit" she said out loud when she saw the time, she had five minutes before the taxi was due. 'Well I guess that makes the decision for me' she thought to herself. She put on a short black cotton cardigan and a pair of black shoes with enough heel so that she would look a little taller but not so tall that she'd end up in casualty with a broken ankle just from trying to walk in them.

She looked out the window and saw the taxi pulling up. She grabbed her keys and her knee length black coat and quickly checking her makeup again in the mirror by the front door, she left the flat to head to the restaurant. Grace got into the taxi and the driver asked her where she was headed "Randal's on Thickwood Road please" she answered and sat back trying to contain the combination of nervousness and excitement inside her. 

 

The taxi began to slow down and Grace groaned silently as she saw the huge line of traffic stopped at some temporary traffic lights. "We may be here a while luv" said the taxi driver "looks like a burst water pipe.” She felt like crying, this was her first real date with Michael and she was going to be late. "Any idea how long" she asked trying to keep her voice from shaking? "No idea luv" he replied, "tell you what, I can try and turn around and go the other way, it'll add about ten minutes on the journey but it doesn't look like anything is moving here for a while, I promise I'll get you there as quickly as I can" he said, he had been married for twenty five years and could tell a women's mood and Grace reminded him of his daughter so he would do what he could to help her.

The driver backed up slightly and swung the taxi around and set off in the opposite direction "Why don't you text him, let him know you are on your way" he said smiling a real dad type smile in the review mirror. "Yeah, that's a good idea, thank you" she said genuinely grateful, "You're welcome" he replied. Grace took her phone out of her bag and texted Michael, all the while hoping he would wait for her, luckily the table wasn't booked for another forty minutes so she had time to get there but she still hated being late to meet him. She breathed a sigh of relief when he texted her back and it didn't go unnoticed by the taxi driver who just smiled. The taxi finally pulled up outside Randal's and Grace paid the driver, thanked him again and gave him a generous tip which he thanked her for in return. She stepped on the pavement and turned to see Michael standing there smiling at her.

 

Michael looked at Grace standing there; she really was the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Every time he looked at her or even thought about her his heart raced. He was in love and falling deeper every minute. Grace walked over and Michael joined her, they hugged and he leant down kissing her gently before taking her hand and they walked into the restaurant together.

The place was packed and there didn't seem to be a spare table anywhere but they were early and their plan was to grab a drink at the bar after booking in. They approached a small podium where a woman with jet black hair was taking names. "Yes can I help you?" she said staring at Michael. "Um yes" he said, "we have a reservation for eight pm." "Ok, what name is it please?" the raven haired women asked. "Antonioni" Michael said, carefully squeezing Grace's hand. The women looked at the screen in front of her and hit a few keys. "Are you sure your reservation was for tonight?" she asked. "Yeah" said Michael, "I called yesterday to check and the guy I spoke to said it was in the computer as a booking." "Ok I'll take another look" she said and looked at the screen again. "Ah, umm you have a booking here but it's for next Friday" she said with her eyes down, not looking at him. "What?" he said, "no the table was booked for tonight, I booked it for tonight and was told the reservation was on your computer" he said, trying not to raise his voice. "I'm sorry sir but your booking hasn't been added for tonight but for next week and we are completely booked up tonight."

Michael was crushed, Grace had wanted to come here and now that wasn't going to happen. She squeezed his hand and said "Michael it's ok, why don't we head to the cinema, get some popcorn and drinks and try to find somewhere when we come out?" "I'm sorry" he said and she smiled at him. "Let’s go" she said and together they walked out of the restaurant and luckily, managed to hail a passing black cab. "Where to mate?" the cabbie asked as Michael helped Grace into the back of the cab. "Empire Cinemas mate" Michael replied getting in himself. They sat back and put on their seat belts as the driver pulled away and into traffic. 

 

Michael turned to Grace" I'm so sor…" Michael began but didn't get to finish as Grace placed her small hand on his face and pulled him into a soft kiss. As his lips touched hers all the guilt and anxiety over their plans going wrong just melted away. She pulled away "Michael I don't mind where we go, I just want to spend time with you." "I just want to spend time with you too" he said smiling. Grace leaned against him and he put his arm around her and pulled her to his side the best he could with their seat belts restraining them, they both giggled and they sat with Michael holding her in the back of the cab.

As they got nearer the cinema Michael asked her what she wanted to watch and she confessed she had no idea what was playing so they decided to see what was due to start, they didn't really care what they watched, the truth was neither one of them wanted to go to the cinema they both just wanted to go home together, they wanted each other so much but both didn't want to bring it up in case it scared the other off.

They got to the cinema and Michael insisted on paying for the cab, he handed over the money plus a tip and got out first holding his hand out to Grace to help her out, he didn't want her falling while stepping out of the cab. Grace couldn't help think that Michael was a real gentleman and said smiling "Why thank you kind sir" and giggled and Michael loved that sound. He held her hand and said "You are very welcome my lady" which made Grace giggle even more. 

 

They walked hand in hand into the cinema. There were people everywhere and Michael had a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to work out either and he was right. After queuing for over thirty minutes they finally got to the front counter and asked for two tickets to the next film that was due to start, they had decided just to watch whatever was next to give them time to get some food later but the women behind the counter checked the computer and said "There is a sci-fi action film called Time Trek about to begin but we don't have two seats together and the other two films that we are showing tonight are both sold out." "We'll leave it thanks" said Grace and taking Michael's hand she pulled him gently out of the queue. "Great" he said and she smiled, she was beginning to think that maybe the universe was trying to tell them something. "It's fine Michael, really" she said and he turned for a second crushed, thinking she was about to tell him she was going home but instead she surprised him and said "Why don't we grab a take out and go back to your place, I'm sure there'll be some film on the TV we could watch." Michael smiled. "Sure" he said, trying not to show her exactly how happy he was.

After grabbing yet another black cab they arrived at Michael's flat, they had decided to order the food once they got back to the flat and have it delivered. Michael opened the front door and let Grace go in before him. "It's just up those stairs" he said closing and locking the front door and following her, all the while thinking it was lucky that Raph had gone to visit his sister in Oxford for a few days. 

 

Grace stood by the inside door as Michael unlocked it and she walked into the spacious apartment "Wow nice place" Grace said impressed. “Thanks” he said a little shyly, "can I take your coat?" he asked. "Thanks, oh and I didn't bring your coat, I figured you could always come to my flat and take it home.” Michael smiled a sexy kind of naughty smile and it sent shivers through Grace. She slipped off her coat and Michael stopped and stared "Is something wrong" Grace asked worriedly. "No, nothing, you are just so beautiful" he said and she smiled, if anyone else had said it she would have thought it was some cheesy line to get her into bed but with Michael she knew he was sincere. "Thank you" she said and walked over to him and pushed his Jacket off his shoulders and he let it fall to the ground, his arms were around her in an instant, her hands in his hair, and they kissed passionately. She was glad she wore some more of her new sexy lingerie she had.

He pulled her closer, the nearness of her arousing him. Pressing against her she moaned into his mouth, the sound increasing his excitement. His tongue brushed against hers and she deepened the kiss. ‘Bedroom’ she groaned and they started to go up the stairs to his room but as they reached the top, and just as Michael was about to pick her up, he heard the unmistakable sound of the intercom and voice he was not expecting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Michael groaned, he couldn't believe this was happening, any other time he wouldn't have minded but right now the sound of his nephew’s voice was not what he wanted to hear. He looked at Grace and she was smiling. "It's fine really, we can always pick this up tomorrow night at my place, and your coat won’t be the only piece of your clothing over the chair in my bedroom, you better go answer the door." Michael smiled, "You really are amazing." He kissed her quickly before heading downstairs, all the while trying to think of anything but Grace. He picked up a jumper from the couch and held it over his arm covering his waist, trying desperately to hide the bulge in his jeans.

He opened the front door to see Angelo and Tara standing there, Tara looked like she had been crying. "Michael I'm so sorry to do this but is there any way you could watch Angelo for a few days, I have to go back to Ireland, my mother has had a bad fall and they need me to go as soon as possible?" "Of course" he said, "come in." He opened the door and Angelo ran straight upstairs "Thank you Michael, my mother doesn't like children so I can't take Angelo with me, and I know I wouldn't be able to look after him properly there as well as take care of my mother and I don't want to take him out of school." "No you did right, he'll be fine here."

As Michael and Tara made their way upstairs Angelo skidded into the living room and stopped dead when he saw Grace sitting on the couch. Michael and Tara walked into the living room (thankful that the bulge in his pants had gone down). Grace stood and Michael walked over to her. "Grace this is my nephew Angelo and this is Tara my sort of sister in law I guess, guys this is Grace." Grace smiled "Hi" she said shyly. Angelo turned round to Michael. "Uncle Mike I'm hungry." "Would you mind giving him something to eat, I was just about to make him something when I got the phone call" Tara said. "It's ok I'll sort out something for him" Michael replied. "Can we have Chinese" said Angelo as he headed to the kitchen to get the take away menus from the draw? "Ok, just this once" Michael smiling.

"I should leave you to it" Grace said not wanting to intrude." Michael turned to her "Please stay, you must be hungry,” she was and not just for food. "Ok that would be nice, if it's ok with Angelo?" Angelo looked at Grace, he liked her, she seemed cool and he could tell how much his Uncle Mike liked her "Do you like seaweed" he asked? "No not really" Grace answered and Angelo smiled "Cool more for me" he said and picked up his bag and headed up to his room. "Tara would you like to join us?" Michael asked but she declined saying she really had to go and she went upstairs to say goodbye to Angelo leaving Michael and Grace alone. "Sorry about this" he said. Grace leaned up and kissed him. “It’s fine really; he seems like a great kid." Michael smiled, he really did love this amazing women. "Yeah he is."

Angelo and Tara came downstairs and Angelo hugged his mum and she gave him a kiss on the cheek "Mum", he groaned at her embarrassed. Tara smiled, "I'll ring you when I get to your Grans, you be good for your uncle Mike" "I will mum" he said and they both said I love you and then Tara left for her mercy dash to her mum. Angelo walked into the living room "So have you ordered yet" he asked? Michael laughed, why don't you get the plates and I'll ring, so what does everyone want?"

 

After they had finished eating they had all watched a bad film on the TV. Angelo was sitting on a bean bag chair that Michael had bought for him and he and Grace were cuddled up on the couch. Angelo covered his mouth and tried to hide a yawn but Michael saw him. ‘Ok I think it's bedtime for you’ he said looking at Angelo. ‘Oh five more minutes Uncle Mike, I'm not tired really’ Angelo said before betraying himself with a yawn. Michael chuckled. ‘Nice try mate, go brush your teeth,’ and Angelo sighed and stood up, ‘Night Grace’ he said shyly. ‘Good night Angelo. Sleep well’ she replied smiling. ‘I'll be back in a minute’ Michael said to her. ‘Take your time’ she said with a smile that made him melt. ‘Ok’ he said and turned and followed Angelo up the stairs.

Grace sat thinking about the events of the evening, so things hadn't turned out the way either of them had pictured but seeing Michael with Angelo, how he cared for him as if he was his own son, made Grace smile, yeah he was a great guy and he would make a great father one day, and it hit her; she was seeing her future with Michael and they had only known each other for what seemed like five minutes but that didn't matter, she had fallen in love with this wonderful man and what had happened tonight just made her love him more.

 

Michael sat on the edge of the bed as Angelo pulled the quilt over him. ‘So what do you think of Grace?’ He asked a little nervous of what his nephew would say. ‘She seems really great Uncle Mike, you seem happy again, she makes you smile’ Angelo said. ‘Yeah she does, so you wouldn't mind if she was here a lot’ Michael said, he needed to know that Angelo was ok with Grace as he felt a responsibility for his nephew, who he had raised like a son because of the way his deadbeat brother had just abandoned him. ‘Of course not, she really likes you’ he said looking at Michael. ‘Oh yeah and how do you know’ Michael asked him. ‘Well she looks at you like you look at her’ he said and Michael hoped he was right. They talked for a few more minutes before Michael left when Angelo fell asleep.

Grace was still sitting on the couch when Michael came back into the living room. ‘He's out like a light’ he said walking over to her. She stood and walked over to meet him and he put his arms around her waist and pulled her in and kissed her gently, he dare not kiss her any harder as he didn't think he would be able to control his body’s reaction to her, it was taking everything he had to remain calm as it was. Eventually she pulled away and looked at him. ‘I should go’ she said. He knew why and he had to agree that with Angelo sleeping upstairs, it was probably best to try and control themselves. ‘Can I see you again’ he asked and she smiled. ‘Of course but next time it's my place’ she said grinning. He grinned back ‘You got it beautiful’.

He called a taxi for her and when it arrived he kissed her again. ‘See you soon,’ ‘Absolutely’ she said and got in the taxi. As she was closing the door he asked her to text him to let him know she was home safely and she said she would. They said goodnight and as the taxi pulled away Michael thought how much he hated seeing her leave. He went back in the house, made a cup of tea and turned on the TV to the news but he wasn't really watching it. About twenty minutes later his phone beeped with an incoming message, he read it and smiled. 'Hey Handsome, I'm home safe and sound, thank you for a great night and I can't wait to see you again, Grace.' He quickly typed out a reply. ‘Hey beautiful, glad you're home safe, thank you too for a great night, sorry things didn't go as planned but I enjoyed myself cos I was with you, can't wait to see you again either, I'll call you tomorrow, Michael.' A few seconds later he received her reply. 'I can't wait, night handsome,’ and smiling he replied. 'Night beautiful.’ 

That night they both dreamt of each other.

 

The next morning Michael stood at the sink drinking a cup of coffee while Angelo sat at the breakfast bar eating his breakfast of toast and cornflakes and a big glass of orange juice. He couldn't stop thinking about Grace, last night hadn't gone at all the way he had planned but it didn't matter because they still had a great night although he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened just before Angelo turned up. He smiled thinking of the feeling of Grace's soft lips against his, her body pressed against his as they made their way to his bedroom and... he stopped and tried to think of something else, he had to get Grace off his mind before his body started reacting in a way that he didn't want right now.

Both he and Angelo looked up at the sound of the front door opening. Raph walked and placed his bag on the couch. ‘Hi Raph’ Angelo said with a mouthful of cornflakes. ‘Hey Angelo’ Raph said and Michael looked at him and signalled for Raph to go into the living room. Michael explained about Angelo staying with them for a few days, Raph didn't have a problem with this, he whispered to Michael, ‘So Angelo stayed last night, I'm guessing that put a cramp in your plans.’ ‘Mate that's not all of it’ he said and he told Raph about everything that had gone wrong only leaving out what exactly was happening when Tara and Angelo had turned up at the front door.

‘Sorry mate, maybe you can try again, why don't you give her a call and see if she is free tonight, I'll watch Angelo’he said, he had seen the change in Michael since he had met Grace and he was happy to see his best friend seem like his old self. ‘Are you sure mate’ Michael asked and Raph smiled at him. ‘Hey Angelo, do you want to go bowling tonight’ he shouted. ‘You, me and Uncle Mike’ Angelo asked in between bites of toast. ‘Na mate just you and me, would you mind if your Uncle Mike went out with Grace again tonight’ he asked and Angelo smiled, ‘that'd be great, Uncle Mike really likes Grace and it'll be less embarrassing for you when I beat you at bowling if Uncle Mike's not there,’’oh cheeky’ Raph laughed and then turned to Michael. ‘Go on then, ring her.’ ‘Ok, I'll do it upstairs’ Michael said smiling and ran upstairs.

Grace had a rare full weekend off, she sat eating breakfast, she wasn't really concentrating on what she was eating she was just thinking about last night. To spend her date watching bad movies with a guy she had hadn't known long and his teenage nephew should have felt weird but it didn't, it felt natural and right. She was still smiling when her phone rang, she picked it up and grinning answered it. ‘Hi Michael’ she said. ‘Hi Grace, how are you’ he asked. ‘I'm good, I had a great time last night.’ she said surprising him. ‘Yeah? So did I’ he said happily. ‘I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight, Raph's back from his sisters and he's offered to watch Angelo and so I was hoping maybe we'd try again, umm I mean the meal out, I didn't mean well not that I" he stammered, he didn't want her to think the only reason he called was to get her into bed but he also didn't want her thinking he didn't want her. She chuckled. ‘It's ok Michael I know what you meant, I'm free tonight but’ as she said this he felt a sadness as he was sure she was about to say she didn't want to see him, ‘but’ she continued, ‘ why don't you come over here and I'll cook for you?’ He felt like his heart stopped for a moment before it began to race. ‘Yeah, that would be great’ he said. ‘Ok why don't you come over for about 7.30’ she said in a soft shy voice. ‘Sounds good’ he said, ‘would you like me to bring some wine’ he asked. ‘That would be nice thanks, is there any food you don't like or are allergic to’ she asked, the last thing she wanted was to poison him. ‘Na I'm good’ he said and she smiled. ‘I'll text you my address’. They said their goodbyes, both nervous and excited and both couldn't wait.

 

Michael came downstairs with the biggest grin on his face, Raph smiled at his friend. ‘I'm guessing she said yes then?’ ‘Yeah she invited me round, she's going to cook for me’ he said happily. ‘That's good man’ Raph replied. Michael went over to the wine cabinet and picked out a nice bottle of Italian red, he put the bottle on the counter inside a bottle bag ready for the evening. ‘Uncle Mike are you going to take Grace some flowers’ Angelo asked while wiping orange juice from his mouth, ‘ you should you know, that's what men do for their girlfriends, I've seen it in films.’ Michael smiled at his nephew, he was a good kid. ‘Yeah I will, thanks mate" he said ruffling Angelo’s hair. ‘Go get your kit, we don't want to be late for your game and just remember it is a football match not a brawl so play nice and yes I know, you always do.’ Angelo ran upstairs while Michael grabbed his coat. ‘You coming mate’ he said to Raph. ‘Yeah why not’ his friend replied and when Angelo came downstairs with his bag the three of them left to go to the match.

Grace put her phone down on the kitchen table and closed her eyes, Michael was coming to her flat tonight, just the two of them, she was nervous and excited and hell, she was turned on. She wanted him badly, she had never felt this strongly about anyone before and she wanted everything to be perfect. She made her way into the kitchen and washed her hands before getting out everything she would need and then made her famous home-made bread dough for the rolls she would bake later and she placed the bowl in the airing cupboard to rise. She then cleaned up in the kitchen washing what she had used to save time later.

She grabbed her keys and coat and left to go shopping for later. She drove to the high street. Parking in a small car park, she got out and made her way to the small green grocers. ‘Hi Patrick’ she said to the tall blonde man behind the counter. ‘Morning Grace, what can I get for you today?’ ‘Can I have some potatoes and carrots please Patrick, a couple of those big Maris Pipers and about half a dozen of those big carrots please.’ ‘Sure Grace’ he replied and bagged up her order. ‘That'll be £3.39 please.’ She paid, said her goodbyes and left.

Walking past the front of the chemist Grace hesitated then stopped. She was a modern responsible woman she thought nodding to herself. She turned back and went in. She was sure she would be spending the night with Michael and she wanted to be prepared, and it wasn't just the man’s responsibility to provide protection.

After being served she made her way to the end of the high street to the butchers shop. The shop had been run by the same family for over 100 years and all her family had shopped here. A dark haired woman was finishing serving a customer so Grace took a look at the selection in the glass display. When the assistant was free she made her way to where Grace was waiting. ‘Hi Grace’ she said smiling. ‘Hi Hannah, how are you’ Grace asked. ‘I'm good, how are you’ Hannah replied. As Grace said she was fine the shop door opened and five people came in. Grace was kind of glad about this because as much as she liked Hannah she also know that if it was just the two of them she would get stuck talking and she had a lot to do before tonight. ‘What can I get for you’ Hannah asked. ‘Can I have two ten ounce Aberdeen Angus rump steaks please, some of the fat still left on but not a lot’ Grace asked, ‘Sure’ Hannah said before leaving to go in to the back and cut two fresh steaks. A couple of minutes later Hannah returned with two great looking steaks. ‘How are these’ she asked, ‘thirty five days matured.’ ‘Those are perfect’ Grace said hoping that Michael liked steak.  
Grace paid for the steaks and headed to the small corner shop across the road and bought some milk and a bottle of HP brown sauce, she had a bottle in, she always had some but she knew she was running low. She now had everything she would need to buy for tonight, everything else she already had in the house so she headed back to the car.

Michael, Angelo and Raph made their way back to the car, all were in good spirits as Angelo's team had won by two goals to nil and he had scored one of the goals. On the way back to the flat Michael called in at the florist and bought Grace a beautiful bouquet of flowers. They arrived home and Michael put the flowers in the sink with some water to keep them fresh. Angelo went to play on the Xbox and Michael put the coffee machine on. ‘You seem really happy mate’ Raph said looking at his best friend. ‘Yeah I am’ Michael said, ‘I know this is quick but I love her mate, she makes me happy and I want to make her happy and take care of her.’ Raph smiled ‘I know, man.’ Raph was pleased for his friend but hoped he didn't end up getting hurt again. ‘Hey Uncle Mike, Raph, do you want a game of motor racing.’ Michael and Raph looked at each other before racing each other into the living room and grabbing a controller.

Grace arrived back home and put her shopping away, she would prepare the vegetables later and cook everything once Michael arrived as it wouldn't take long to do. She changed into Jogging pants and a t-shirt, tired her long hair back into a messy ponytail and turned the radio on. The music started, Grace loved this station, and they only played music from the sixties, seventies and Motown. Grace began to clean the flat, it was already clean and tidy but she wanted it to be perfect. As she cleaned she danced and sang along to the radio. When the flat was clean and the floors swept and polished Grace looked at the clock, it was now four pm and she decided to have a nice relaxing bath. She lay back in the mountain of lavender bubbles and tried to calm herself down, she couldn't wait till tonight. She was glad she had treated herself on Thursday before work and gone to the beauty salon, she didn't have to worry about shaving her legs and she had decided to go for the full treatment and was now thankful. She closed her eyes and sunk lower in the hot scented water

Michael stepped out of the shower, he was glad he hadn't cut himself shaving; the last thing he wanted was to show up at Grace's looking like he had visited Sweeney Todd. He dried himself and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, he wanted to look casual. He went over to his bedside cabinet and took out the box of condoms he had bought yesterday, he would take them just in case, he would never pressure Grace into anything but he wanted to be prepared in case they did spend the night together. Putting on his shoes he grabbed his watch and went down stairs. ‘So do I look alright’ he asked Raph and Angelo and they both said he did. He thanked them and gave some money to Raph for bowling. ‘There should be enough there for a few games and for some food’ he said. ‘Have fun’ and he said he would see them later but Raph had no doubt that he wouldn't see Michael till the next morning. Michael opened the inside front door and was about to step out when Raph shouted him. ‘Hey Mike, aren't you forgetting something’ he said, pointing at the flowers and wine in the kitchen. ‘Oh yeah’ Michael said, ‘I guess I'm a bit distracted.’ He laughed embarrassed as he went to the kitchen to grab the presents for Grace.

Grace had just finished getting changed, she wore a beautiful lilac dress, she had done her hair so it fell in loose curls against her back and her makeup was just right. Everything was prepared so all she had to do was cook. The rolls she baked earlier were keeping warm in the small bread oven on the counter. She had just put her shoes on when the text alert on her phone sounded. 'Hey Beautiful, I'll be there in a few minutes, I can't wait to see you, Michael. Grace smiled, she couldn't wait to see him either, she replied to his message. 'Hey handsome, I'll be waiting, I can't wait to see you either, Grace'. A few minutes later Grace looked up as a knock sounded at the door, she nervously walked over and answered the door and grinned seeing Michael smiling at her holding a bottle bag and a beautiful bouquet of flowers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Grace looked at Michael and smiled. 'Please come in,' she said and he grinned at her. 'For you beautiful' he said handing her the flowers. 'Oh Michael, they are so beautiful, thank you I love them.' He leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against hers, just as at the other times they had kissed, it was electric.  
He followed her into the kitchen as she took the old flowers out of the vase on the kitchen table and placed them in to a bowl. She emptied the water out and quickly washed the vase before adding fresh water and carefully placing the new flowers into it. 'These are so beautiful,' she said, 'the ones you bought me last week where starting to look wilted but they were still lovely so I couldn't bear to throw them out, but now I'll dry them, add a little essential oil and put them in little lace bags, and keep them in my dresser,' she said looking lovingly at him

Michael placed the bottle bag on the counter. 'A nice Italian red' Michael said pointing at the bag, 'I hope that’s ok.' 'That's perfect' she said smiling, 'I'm making steak and chips with carrots, I hope that's ok?' she asked a little nervously. 'My favourite' he said. 'Mine too' she replied. 'I love meat and two veg' she said innocently before realising what she had said, both of them looked at each other for a second before both breaking out into fits of laughter.

They looked at each other and stopped laughing, there was a spark in the air, Grace grabbed the front of Michaels t-shirt and she pulled him close and kissed him, this wasn't a hello kiss, this was something else.

Michael moaned, he couldn't believe this was happening, her kiss was like beautiful electric shocks shooting down his body. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her even closer and their kiss became more urgent. Grace leaned up pushing his coat from his shoulders, he let go of her long enough to let it fall to the floor before taking her into his arms again.

The kiss they shared became more passionate, her arms moved around his neck, one hand running through his hair. They both felt him harden against her. Grace broke away for a second and breathing hard, "bedroom" was all she said and Michael felt himself grow even harder. She pulled him closer and kissed him again and guided him to her bedroom. Their kisses became more urgent, Grace pulled away again and grabbed the hem of Michael's t-shirt pulling it up and he lifted his arms to allow her to take it off. She threw his shirt on the floor, he pulled her back to him, kissing her as she ran her fingers through the soft covering of hair on his chest. He carefully unzipped the back of her dress and pushed it from her shoulders, she let it fall and carefully, without breaking the kiss and stepped out of it.

They both broke away for air and Michael groaned as he looked at her dressed in sexy black and purple lingerie, he picked her up and carried her over to the bed. ‘You are so beautiful' he breathed. He wanted her so badly. She leaned over and ran her fingers through his chest hair again, moving down to the button on his jeans, she pulled at it and it popped open. Carefully she unzipped them, taking care as his erection strained against the fabric. He stood at the foot of the bed and allowed her to push them down. He kicked off his shoes and socks and stepped out of his jeans. Grace looked at him, she had never wanted anyone so badly before. She knelt on the end of the bed and ran her hands just under the waistband of his boxer shorts before cupping him through the thin cotton He gasped as her warm small hand stroked him gently through the flimsy fabric.

She sat up and reached back unhooking the clasp on her bra and slowly slid the straps down her arms before taking it off and throwing it to the side. Michael couldn't take his eyes off her, he couldn't wait to run his hand over her gorgeous curves, her shapely legs and her perfect breasts. Her nipples were hard and he wanted to run his tongue over them, to make her moan in pleasure. She leaned forward and kissed his chest before pushing his boxers down, his ample erection springing free, she gasped, he was big and perfect.

He stepped out of his boxers. 'Shit' he said. 'What's wrong' she asked, suddenly worried. 'Condoms' he said, 'I wanted to be prepared just in case we, well, and I, I left them in my coat.' She smiled. She turned and opened a small draw in the bedside cabinet, she removed the box of condoms and opening them she took one out and handed it to him. 'I wanted to be prepared too' she said . He took it, his hands shaking slightly, he was nervous he thought, as crazy as it was, it wasn’t like he was a virgin and this was his first time but he wanted this to be just right, he was standing naked in front of the women he loved, who he wanted to make love to so badly. 'Are you ok' she asked worriedly. 'Yeah' he said, ' I just want to make sure you really want to do this.' She took the condom out of his hand, he sighed to himself, convinced she had decided that she didn't want to but instead she surprised him and pulled him gently until he too was kneeling on the bed, she smiled at him and kissed him gently before opening the packet, looking into his eyes she took him in her hand and he closed his eyes as she carefully rolled the condom on.

She moved laying back, her head now against the pillow. He moved with her until he was kneeling above her. He hooked his fingers under the waist band of her thong and she lifted her hips as he pulled them off, throwing them to meet the rest of their clothes on the floor. He lay on top of her, their bodies pressing lightly against each other as he held his weight on his strong arm, the other ran down her body before hooking his hand under her knee and hitching it over his hip. She moved her hands down his body again taking him in her hand again, guiding him in place before he gently entered her and they became one.

The electricity between them when they kissed was nothing compared to now, their bodies joined, moving together as if they had been making love for years, every thrust of his hips caused her to dig her nails into his back, their moans filling the room. He kissed her passionately as she wrapped her leg tighter round him pulling him closer. He rolled her slightly changing their position and allowing him to go deeper. She moaned his name and it was the best thing he had ever heard, he looked into her eyes, 'Oh Grace' he groaned and she pulled his head to hers and kissed him again. The connection they had felt since first meeting was stronger than ever, he felt her muscles tightening and that sent him over the edge and as they came together he knew that Grace was the only women he'd ever want to make love with.

Grace lay in Michael's arms, her head on his chest. He stroked her hair tenderly. They both lay there in the afterglow. 'How are you feeling' he asked. 'Amazing' she said smiling, 'Me too' he replied before kissing her on her forehead. She looked up at him and he kissed her tenderly. She smiled at him, 'Are you hungry' she asked. 'Yeah' he said smiling, 'me too' she said sitting up and smiling back. She got up and walked naked to the wardrobe, she turned and smiled at him giving him a full view. She took out a short purple silk robe and put it on before taking out a long purple fleece dressing gown and carried it over to Michael.

'How about I make us some food, after all I did invite you round for a meal' she said grinning. He pushed the covers back giving her a full view of his gorgeous body before getting out of bed and putting on the dressing gown. 'This has got to be at least a size too big for you' he said as he tied the belt. 'It was a gift from my great aunty, she didn't worry about things like sizes' she replied, 'well it's come in handy now' he said chuckling, 'well it's the first time it's been worn, so at least it's finally being used' she said giggling as they made their way into the kitchen.

 

Grace turned the oven on. 'Would you mind decanting the wine, the carafe is on top of the wine cabinet next to the glasses' Grace asked as she washed her hands before taking out the carrots and potatoes and placed them on the counter. 'Sure' Michael said smiling at her and he carried the wine over and carefully poured it into the carafe. Grace finished washing the potatoes and had peeled them when Michael walked back to the counter. ‘Take a seat' she said smiling as she carefully but quickly sliced the potatoes into chips before placing them on a tray and drizzling them with oil and seasoning them with a little sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper and placed them in the oven.

She took one of the carrots and holding it in her hand she began to peel it. Michael looked at her and swallowed, a carrot being peeled shouldn't look so hot but it did. Standing, he walked over to her stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her, he placed his hands over hers, making the long strokes with the peeler, when the second carrot was almost done he began to trail small kisses against Grace's neck making her to moan slightly. He smiled and stepped away, as much as he wanted to continue he didn't want to distract her and have her hurt herself so he kissed her neck once more and moved back around the counter he sat down smiling.

Grace shook her head to clear it and took a deep breath before cutting the carrots into batons and placing them in the steamer. 'How do you like your steak’ she asked taking the plate with the meat off the side where it had been left to come to room temperature. 'Medium rare please' he said, 'me too' she smiled. He watched her cook and while she did they chatted. He asked about her love for cooking, she said she felt at home in the kitchen, that no matter how she felt, when she cooked it relaxed her. When their food was ready Grace placed the plates on the table near bottles of HP steak sauce, HP brown sauce and tomato ketchup and fetched the warmed rolls too while Michael poured the wine. Michael held Grace's chair out for her and she thanked him with a kiss.

They ate and chatted some more, they talked about films and music. Grace could tell Michael was enjoying his food by the noises he was making. 'This is amazing, I have never tasted chips this good, the carrots are so sweet and that steak is so tasty and mmm, these rolls are sensational, they are to die for’ he said chewing on the crusty morsel before taking another bite of beef and savouring the flavour, ‘the steak is so good.’ ‘It's Aberdeen Angus, matured for thirty five days’ she said smiling. He loved watching her eat, he hated watching some of his past dates eat, or not eat, they would pick at their food conscious of their figures. Grace loved to eat, but she worked out to keep slim and also to keeping her curves. Michael looked at her wanting badly to take her again.

When they had finished their meals Grace moved the plates and began to make desert. She got two sundae dishes and took out two tubs from the freezer. 'How does a sundae sound, made with raspberries, home-made chocolate ice cream and home-made raspberry ice cream with dark chocolate raspberry liqueur cups, whipped cream and raspberry coulis' she said. 'Sounds perfect' Michael said and smiled as he watched her. She placed raspberry coulis and fresh raspberries in the bottom of the dish and then layered scoops of the ice cream, topping it with whipped cream and drizzling more raspberry coulis over the top. ‘The fresh raspberries and the ones I made the coulis out of are home grown, I have raspberry canes in the garden next to my herb patch, it’s small but it does for me just fine.' 

They sat at the table, close to each other and Michael picked up Grace's spoon and began to feed her the sundae, she picked up his spoon and did the same. Grace couldn't believe it, she had no idea how unbelievable erotic it could be. They looked at each other and both stood up, pushing their chairs away and, Michael pulled her into him. He was hard again. She moaned and their lips met kissing passionately, his hand trailing through her hair as they made their way back to Grace's bedroom.

 

Grace woke up, she kept her eyes closed but smiled, she was lying on her side, Michael was curled around her, his arm over her tucking her small body into his, he was fast asleep at least some of him, one part was very awake. She opened her eyes and held Michael's hand, very tenderly stroking his fingers, she closed her eyes again as she felt soft lips gently kiss the back of her head.

'Good morning beautiful' he said before kissing her hair again, ‘Morning handsome' she said turning round slightly, he leaned forward to kiss her and she pulled away slightly. 'What's wrong' he said, thinking she was having morning after regrets. 'I haven't brushed my teeth' she said embarrassed. ' I don't care about that' he said and she smiled and allowed him to lean closer, as their lips met they both thought how right this felt but neither wanted to say it in case it scared the other one off.

They both pulled away at the same time smiling, 'You hungry" Grace asked and Michael nodded. 'Oh yeah" he said, making Grace wonder if he wasn't just talking about food. She smiled. 'I'll make breakfast" she said, 'what would you like?' Michael wanted to reply you, but instead said 'I don't mind' looking at her sweetly. 'How does pancakes with bacon sound' she asked him. 'Perfect ' he replied as she picked up the robe, 'and pancakes sound good too' he said, with a cheeky grin and a wink and she giggled at the adorable look on his face. 'Do you want some help' he said. 'I'm fine, you relax' she said unable to keep the smile off her face. 'Can I take a shower' he asked and she grinned at the thought. 'Sure, the temp regulator is a bit funny, you have to play with the knob to get it to flow right, um I mean…' she said before giggling again. Michael laughed and said thanks. 'I won’t be long' he said as she watched him walk naked to the bathroom.

 

Michael walked out of the bathroom and immediately smiled, the smells coming from the kitchen where incredible. He entered the kitchen and smiled as he saw Grace placing plates on the table, a platter with a big pile of pancakes with bacon on the side, a jug of warm maple syrup and a jug of orange juice were in the centre of the table. 'Hi' she said smiling at him, ' I hope you're hungry,' ' I am' he said looking at her, he had an image in his head of them doing this for the next fifty years. He walked over to her, pulled her to him and kissed her gently. 'Can I do anything' he asked?' ‘No thanks' she said, 'everything is ready, why don't you take a seat and I'll just grab the coffee.’

Michael took his chair and pulled it around the table so he would be sitting closer to her. 'Please help yourself but be careful, the plates are hot,' she said as she came over to the table with a pot of coffee and poured some into two mugs before sitting down. 'Are you having both?' Michael asked. 'Please' Grace said smiling. Michael served the pancakes and bacon then poured the syrup getting some on his thumb, he moved his hand to his mouth to lick the syrup off but Grace took hold of his hand instead. She looked into his eyes and said shyly 'May I?' Michael just nodded. Grace moved closer and pulling his hand to her lips, she carefully placed his thumb into her mouth licking off the syrup and sucked gently. Michael moaned and felt himself harden. Grace pulled away and looked at him, she blushed slightly and picked up her knife and fork and began to eat. He shook his head to clear it and then began to eat too.

He put down his fork, he couldn't eat another bite, he had never tasted pancakes that good before and the bacon was incredible. 'That was amazing, thank you' he said, Grace smiled 'You are more than welcome' she said standing up to clear the plates. 'Please let me' he said ' it's the least I can do,' 'but you're a guest, it wouldn't be right' she said quickly, 'well then why don't we do them together,' he said taking her hand and looking deeply into her eyes. 'Ok’ she said, lost in his beautiful blue eyes. Together they cleaned away the breakfast dishes, chatting the whole time, they worked well together.

Around midday, Michael looked at his watch. 'I'm really sorry Grace I have to get back to Angelo' he said, he didn't want to go, he wanted to spend the day with her but he knew he couldn't expect Raph to look after Angelo all day. She didn't want him to go but she knew he had responsibilities 'It's ok' she said softly, 'I have to go visit my parents this afternoon anyway, but maybe we can see each other again soon.' 'Absolutely' he said. 'Can I take you out one day this week?' he asked eagerly. Grace smiled. 'I'm off on Tuesday, would that be ok,' 'Tuesday it is, but can I call you later?' he asked nervously. 'Yes please' Grace said and leaned up and kissed him.

Michael moaned as her soft lips touched his, he pulled her into him as they deepened their kiss. They both pulled away while they still could. 'Call you later, beautiful' he said before leaning in to kiss her once more. 'Talk to you later handsome' she said smiling. Michael grabbed his coat and smiled at her as he opened her front door. 'Thanks for tea and breakfast and thank you for last night, it was perfect' he said sweetly, 'it was perfect.' Grace said 'Thank you Michael and I'm sure next time will be as well.' 'Oh it will be' he said smiling at her.

They said goodbye for now and as Michael closed the front door, he felt he was leaving half of himself in Grace's flat.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created 
> 
> no copywright infringement intended

Michael started to walk down the stairs and then stopped. He quickly ran back up the stairs to Grace's front door. He knocked and Grace opened the door. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. 'I should have done that before I left', he said smiling, 'talk to you later beautiful,' he said before turning and leaving Grace stunned and breathless by the front door.

Grace stumbled back into the living room, feeling a little light headed, the way Michael kissed was breath taking literally. She made her way into the bathroom and switched on the shower, dropping her robe she stepped under the cool spray. She couldn't stop smiling, last night had been perfect, she had never been with someone so wonderful and considerate as Michael, it had been amazing and mind blowing, it had been the best sex of her life. She moaned as she thought about Michael being stood in the shower this morning, naked and wet, she quickly turned the shower to cold and washed her hair. 

After her shower, she dried her hair and quickly dressed. Picking up her car keys she put them in her pocket before grabbing her phone. She text Michael 'Hi Handsome, I can't stop thinking about last night, Thank you for an amazing night, I can't wait to see you again, Grace' just as she hit send her phone beeped with an incoming message. she opened it and smiled 'Hi beautiful, Thank you for last night , it was wonderful, can I see you tomorrow?, Michael' Grace grinned and quickly replied 'Hi handsome, tomorrow sounds wonderful, I'm working the lunch shift but we could meet about seven o'clock and maybe grab some food., Grace'.  
Michael replied quickly 'it's a date, see you then beautiful, I can't wait sweetheart'

Grace replied with xx and quickly put her phone in her bag before leaving her flat to go see her parents.  
   
 Michael walked into the flat, Angelo and Raph where on the couch playing football on the x-box, he stood looking at his nephew and best friend and thought about how lucky he was, just last week he felt so low and crushed that even getting out of bed was a chore, but now he had a new outlook, he had a great nephew who was growing into a smart, strong and polite young man, a best friend who would always be there for him no matter what and now he had found Grace, and he could picture his future with her and it made him smile. He walked over to the couch and sat down. Raph looked at him and smiled a 'I know what you did last night' kind of smile and Michael reached over and hit him with a cushion, laughing.  
　  
　  
'So,' Raph said, ‘how are you, you seem happy? He was pleased to see Michael smile, he had been very worried about his best friend, Michael had been so low after Edie had left him and Raph wondered if Michael would be able to pick himself up. He had always been a happy person, full of life, but these last few months it seemed like he'd lost that part of him.

'I'm good mate, really great actually,' Michael said smiling, before tilting his head towards the kitchen and both he and Raph stood up. Michael asked Angelo if he wanted a drink and Angelo asked for some orange juice and began to play games on his phone giving Michael and Raph some privacy to talk. 

Michael poured Angelo some juice and quickly took it to him before returning to the kitchen where Raph was waiting. He couldn't take the smile off his face. 'So it was a good night then?' Raph asked, 'I'm not going to ask for the details cos I know you won’t tell, but you seem happy.' 'She is the most amazing cook, she's funny and beautiful and special. I know it seems fast but mate I'm in love. I can't stop thinking about her mate and when we're together, it seems right and I miss her when we're not together.' Raph just smiled at him. 'What?' Michael asked. It's obvious you love her mate, a blind monkey could see it, you light up whenever you talk about her, it's good to see you happy man,' Raph said, tapping Michael on the shoulder. 'So when are you seeing her again?'  
Michael's smile got even bigger. 'Tomorrow, we're going to grab some food after work. Come on mate, let’s get back to the game, Angelo is thrashing you mate,' he said laughing.  
　  
　  
Grace pulled up outside her parent’s house. She smiled as her dad opened the front door and stepped outside to greet her. 'Hello Gracie,' he said, pulling her into a big hug. Grace loved her parents and was very close to them. Her parents had met when they had been only 15 years old and had been together ever since. When they married at 18 they wanted to start a family straight away however, after years of trying they had had no luck and been heartbroken when they were told that children just wouldn't be possible, and then just a few months later, as if by a miracle, Maria Howard discovered she was expecting the child they thought they could never had and from that moment Grace had been their world. 

She walked into the house and was immediately pulled into a hug by her mother who after letting go, immediately began fussing over her daughter before suddenly stopping to look at her, noticing there was something different about Grace. 'You've met someone,' Maria said. It was a statement not a question. Grace smiled a shy smile. 'Thomas put the kettle on and Grace can tell us all about him or her'. Grace looked at her parents, they were still as in love today as they had been all those years ago as teenagers. She had been in relationships before but had never really wanted what her parents had, never really thought she was one for marriage and kids but since meeting Michael she began to wonder what it would like and she could see a future with the wonderful man she had fallen in love with.

'So tell us all about him then,' Maria asked as Thomas placed a tray on the table with a tea pot, three cups, a small jug of milk and a plate with a selection of shortbread on it. Thomas poured the tea and handed a cup to Grace. 'Well?' Maria said looking at Grace. 'OK, I have met someone,' Grace said shyly. 'His name is Michael, he's my age, he works in London as a banker and he's really nice, we've only known each other for a short time but he's a great guy and I really like him.' Her parents couldn't fail to notice Grace's face light up as she spoke about Michael and they both knew that Grace's feelings for Michael where a lot stronger than their daughter was making out, they both looked at each other with a smile. 'Well I hope, when you're ready, that we'll get to meet him,' Maria said. 'Does he treat you right?' Thomas asked, his fatherly instinct taking over. 'Yeah he does,' Grace replied and the way she said it reassured him. After taking a sip of tea Maria decided to grill her daughter some more. 'So how did you meet?' she asked and both she and Thomas laughed as Grace told them all about Michael spilling his drink on her, and then they smiled as Grace told them how they had talked for hours, and as she told them, both Maria and Thomas knew there must be something special about this Michael.  
　  
　  
Michael woke with a huge smile, he had dreamt that he and Grace had been on holiday on a private island and it seemed so real. He jumped out of bed and into the shower and was in the kitchen making coffee when Raph walked sleepily into the kitchen. 'Aren't you going to be late for work?' he asked yawning. 'No I've cleared it with my boss to go in late for the next week or so, because of Angelo. One of his friend’s mum is going to collect him from school tonight and he's going to stay over and I'm going to pick him and his friend up and take them to school in the morning' Raph chuckled. 'So you've got it all sorted.' 'Oh course,' Michael laughed as he left the kitchen to go and wake Angelo up. Yes he couldn't wait to see Grace again, to look into her beautiful eyes, to brush his hand against her soft skin, to smell her beautiful hair that smelled of lavender, oh yeah he couldn't wait to see her.

Grace sat looking at the morning paper but not really reading it, all she could think of was Michael, and she couldn't wait to see him again. After she had read the same line four times she decided to give up on the paper and take a shower. She walked into the bathroom and stood at the mirror. Looking at herself she couldn't understand what Michael saw in her, she thought of herself as plain but when she was with him he made her feel beautiful and that made her fall deeper for him.

Standing under the cool spray Grace closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She had never really had much luck with men and it had never really bothered her before but with Michael it was different, she wanted this to work, she loved being with him and she couldn't even imagine herself with anyone else. Mentally she kicked herself. She thought he liked her but she had fallen for him and fast, and she didn't want to get hurt. She wouldn't let herself fall too deep. 'Oh who am I kidding, it's too late for that,' she said to herself and dipped her head under the spray.

She had imagined Michael in shower before and now she couldn't help but think about what it would be like to shower with him. She pictured the water running down Michael's gorgeous body, her hands rubbing the wet hair on his chest before her arms circled his neck, his hand in her hair as he pulled her close and kissed her, their bodies pressed against each other. She moaned and opened her eyes before turning the water to cold. She needed Michael badly and knew she had to have him tonight.  
　  
　  
　  
　


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Michael put the phone down, he had just made another sale, he was good at his job but all through the call he couldn't stop thinking about Grace, he wanted her badly and he found himself missing her. He looked at the clock and realised it was noon, he took his phone and sent a text. 'Hi beautiful, just wanted to say I can't stop thinking about you and I can't wait to see you later. Can I Pick you up at your place tonight ,Michael.'

　

　  
Taking his phone just in case Grace got a moment and replied to his message, he grabbed a quick lunch and got back to his desk and tried to concentrate on his work while willing the day to go faster. 

 

The restaurant was full. Grace had been rushing around, not having a minute to rest but it didn't stop her from thinking about Michael, she missed him. The next few hours were crazy and by the time the restaurant closed in the afternoon Grace was exhausted. She checked her phone and was delighted to see a message from Michael. She quickly replied. 'Hi Handsome, I can't stop thinking of you either, sure you can pick me up. I'll be ready at 7pm, I can't wait to see you either. Grace . 

 

She dragged herself to her car and somehow managed to drive home. Grace stepped into the flat and hung her jacket up, she would have another shower before Michael picked her up but she needed one now, it had been really hot in the restaurant and she felt she really needed to get clean. After showering she put on shorts and a vest top and with her hair still wet, decided to watch some TV for a while before she had to get ready. 

 

Grace could hear knocking. Surprised, she tried to figure out where it was coming from but everything seemed foggy. Suddenly she sat up and looked at the clock, shit it was seven pm, she must have fallen asleep while watching the telly. She quickly went to open the door and only when she saw Michael standing there looking gorgeous was it that she realised she must look a mess. Her hair was wild as it had dried while she had been sleeping and she had that look of someone who had just woken up, she thought she must look a terrible.

 

Michael took a breath, she was stunning. 'Oh Michael I am so sorry, I only planned on watching TV for a few minutes but I must have fallen asleep, I must look a real mess,' she said, worried that she would scare him off. 'You are so beautiful,' he said and he meant it. He stepped forward and pulled her into him before gently stroking the side of her face and kissing her softly. She relaxed into him and kissed him back. They stood holding on to each other and deepened the kiss. She moaned and the sound shot straight to Michael's groin and he hardened against her. 'Michael,’ she groaned again and he picked her up in his arms and carried her into her bedroom, his lips never leaving hers.

　

Grace pulled away and looked at him, she had never wanted anyone so badly. 'Michael I just woke up, I'm a mess,' she said worryingly. 'You look stunning,' he said never taking his incredible blue eyes off her. She grabbed him and kissed him and began to slide his coat off. 'I want you,' she said. He groaned. 'I want you too,' he said and kissed her. They quickly undressed each other, touching one another every chance they got. They both lay naked in each other’s arms. Grace rolled over and gently pushed him on his back before straddling him. His heart was racing. She was so beautiful. 

 

She leaned forward and opened the bedside cabinet draw removing a condom, the look on Michael's face was pure lust, he never took his eyes off her as she carefully opened the packet, he then closed his eyes as she carefully took him in her small hands and rolled the condom over him and then positioned herself before slowly sliding down onto him. They both sighed. Michael took hold of her waist and lifted his hips and Grace groaned his name before beginning to move.

　

Grace lay with her head on Michael's shoulder as he stroked her hair, neither of them had ever been happier. Michael wanted to tell her how he really felt, that he was in love with her but he was terrified of scaring her off so he didn't say anything instead he just held her. Grace was so happy she decided to take a chance, 'Michael, would you like to take a shower with me,' she asked. 'I'd love to,' he said and kissed her again. 'Come on,' he said, 'I need you to play with the knob.' Grace giggled and Michael thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. 

　

The water was the perfect temperature. They stood beneath the spray, their bodies pressed against each other and kissed slowly before he pulled away and reached for the shampoo. 'May I?' he asked. She smiled and took the bottle from his hand. 'Allow me,' she said and he smiled at her. 'Of course,' he said. 

 

Grace poured some shampoo on to her hands and then began to massage it into his hair, the feeling of her hands in his hair made him hard again. 'Rinse,' she said and he dipped his head under the water rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. He turned and looked at her. She couldn't help but notice how he had been affected by her washing his hair. She opened the shower door and leaned over to the bathroom cabinet and opening the door she took a condom from the shelf. Grace found that the shower fantasy she had had was nothing on reality.

　

They sat cuddled up on the couch and Michael couldn't help but think he could spend the rest of his life like this. Empty Chinese take away containers on the table next to the coffee cups, it seemed so normal, what he felt he had with Grace was magic and yet perfectly normal, the kind of thing he had seen other people have but never thought he would experience, and he loved it.

 

He looked at the clock, they had been there for a few hours and he hated to go but he had to be at home because he was picking Angelo and his friend up in the morning for school and Grace had the breakfast shift. 'I have to go,' Michael said sadly, 'I'm picking Angelo up from his friend’s house in the morning and dropping them both off at school, and I know you have the breakfast shift.' 'Ok,' Grace said sadly. ‘Hey, why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow, I can cook for you and maybe you can get to know Angelo and Raph a bit more, they're important to me and you're important to me and I'd like you guys to get along,' he said nervously. 'I'd love to,' she said smiling softly. He leaned over and kissed her sweetly.

 

They walked hand in hand to the front door and he kissed her again. 'See you tomorrow beautiful,' he said stroking the side of her face. 'Can't wait,' she said. 'Is seven pm ok?' she asked and Michael smiled. 'That's perfect,' he said and leaned in to kiss her again. They said their goodbyes and as Grace closed the door they both felt a sadness about being apart, tomorrow evening could not come quick enough.

 

Grace got into bed and it felt lonely. She had slept alone for so long, it should feel normal but after having Michael in her bed, being alone felt wrong, she wanted to fall asleep in his arms. After tossing and turning for over an hour she drifted off into an uneasy sleep filled with dreams of looking for Michael and not being able to find him.

　

Michael drove through London on his way home and felt like something was missing, no not something, someone, Grace. Driving home to spend the night without her after the amazing evening they had spent together felt wrong. He arrived home and after hanging his coat up he took out his phone and sent a message to Grace. 'Good night beautiful, sweet dreams sweetheart, can't wait till tomorrow night, Michael.'

 

He went upstairs and as he undressed he wished he could hold Grace while they both slept. He had it bad and he wouldn't have it any other way. He smiled as his text alert sounded and his smile got wider as he saw Grace's name appear on the screen. 'Good night handsome, sweet dreams too honey, I can't wait either, Grace.' Seeing her call him honey made his smile even wider. 

 

Grace woke from a great dream, she had been walking through a forest holding hands with Michael, both of them smiling as a little Jack Russell cross puppy was bouncing along playfully at their feet, in front of them a four year old boy with red-brown hair dressed in a blue coat and red wellies, laughing as he ran through the leaves on the ground. She lay there for a few minutes with a huge smile on her face, that was what she wanted, a future with Michael, she knew she would think about this all day. 

 

Michael sat in the car waiting for Angelo and his friend to come out. He smiled to himself, wondering what it would feel like to be waiting to take his own kids to school, he just knew that Grace would make a great mum one day. He shook his head grinning, oh yeah he had it bad. Angelo opened the car door 'Hey Uncle Mike,' he said with a mouthful of toast as he and his friend James got in the car. 'Hey Angelo, Hey James,' Michael said as he waited for them to put their seat belts on before starting the car.

 

'Angelo, Grace is going to come over tonight and eat with us, I'd like you to get to know each other better and Raph too, would that be ok?' he asked nervously. 'Sure Uncle Mike's, Grace is cool.' Angelo turned to his friend and said 'Grace is Uncle Mike's girlfriend well sort of, have you asked her yet Uncle Mike?' Michael stumbled for a second with his reply. 'Well actually no, not yet,' he said a little embarrassed. 'Well you should, then she knows that you really like her,' Angelo said and Michael smiled at his nephew because he was right. 'I will ask her,' he said and Angelo nodded his head. 'Good, she's good for you Uncle Mike,' he said before starting to talk about school with James.

　

Michael finished putting the last layer of cheese on the lasagne before putting it in the oven then he opened the wine to let it breathe, Grace would be here soon and the lasagne would take a while to cook. The homemade garlic bread was ready to be put in the oven later. He ran upstairs to take a quick shower and get changed while Angelo and Raph played with the x-box. Both of them had offered to help but Michael had said no, he wanted to do this himself and show Grace what he could do. He finished tying up his shoes and he looked at the clock, it was almost seven pm and she would be here any minute, and he suddenly realised he was nervous, he felt like a teenager about to ask the girl he really liked if she would be his girlfriend, he laughed and told himself to man up.

 

The buzzer sounded and he ran down the stairs to answer the door. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face when he saw Grace standing there. 'Hi beautiful,' he said stepping to the side, 'please come in.' Grace stepped forward and kissed him softly. 'Hi Handsome,' she said and his heart jumped. He took her hand and together they walked up the stairs. 

 

Both of them tried to hide their nerves, they both wanted tonight to go well.

　

　

　


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Michael and Grace walked into his flat hand in hand, he gave her hand a small reassuring squeeze and she smiled softly at him. Raph and Angelo were both sitting on the floor in the living room playing a rather brutal game of football when they came in and as Raph turned to look at them Angelo seized the opportunity to take one of Raph's player’s legs out from under him and score a rather cheeky goal. 'Ha scored,' Angelo said and Raph turned to look at him. 'Oi that doesn't count,' he said laughing. 'Why not?' Angelo said with a big grin. Raph shook his head chuckling, 'Cos you cheated and how you didn't get a red card for that tackle is beyond me.'

 

Michael looked at Grace and together they walked into the living room. 'Do I have to take that off you both?' Michael said laughing. 'Hi Grace,' Angelo said, 'I was just beating Raph at football.' Hi Angelo,' Grace said nervously. 'He was cheating at football,' Raph said chuckling, 'good to see you again.' 'You too,' she said smiling.

 

'Can I take your coat?' Michael asked looking into her eyes. ‘Sure, that'd be great,' she said softly and began to take it off. 'Please, allow me,' he said and slipped the jacket from her shoulders, running his finger softly down her arms as he did, producing a shiver running through them both.

 

After hanging Grace's coat up they both walked into the kitchen. 'Would you like a glass of wine, I have a nice bottle of Italian red?' Michael asked, unable to take his eyes off her. 'That sounds wonderful,' she replied, looking right back at him. He asked Raph if he wanted a glass but he said no he was fine with the beer he had and after passing Angelo a glass of orange juice he poured two glasses of the red wine and passed one to Grace. As she took it she brushed her fingers against his, and they both stood there for a minute their hands touching before Michael reluctantly took his hand away and pulled the chair out for her. 'This wine is yummy,' she said before taking another sip. 'It's Italian,' he said grinning, 'it has a great body.' She looked at him and grinning back said 'Yes it does.' Michael just shook his head chuckling.

 

They sat at the table talking while Angelo and Raph turned off the X-box and Michael picked up the remote and turned on the small CD player, soft music began to play. The two of them just stared into each other eyes, a ding from the kitchen interrupting them. Michael smiled, 'It's time to put the garlic bread in, ‘Sounds wonderful,' she replied, 'can I help with anything?' 'It’s fine really, please relax, it won’t be long then we can eat,' he said, never taking his beautiful blue eyes off her. She watched him as he unwrapped a baguette that was clearly homemade, sliced into it and then generously smeared garlic butter into the cuts he had made before sprinkling it with cheese and placing it into the oven. She was very impressed watching him in the kitchen and she had to admit she found it very sexy.

　

Raph walked past them to the fridge to get another beer but closed the door empty handed. 'Mate I'm just going to the shop down the road to grab some more beer, I didn't realise we'd run out.' ‘Ok mate,' Michael said, 'but don't be too long, dinners nearly ready.' 'I won't be mate,' Raph replied, asking both Michael and Grace if they wanted anything but they both said they were fine and after shouting up to Angelo who asked for some chocolate, he left leaving Grace and Michael alone. 

　

Michael fussed around the kitchen, he wanted to make sure everything was perfect but even as busy as he was he couldn't stop looking at Grace and every time he did, he found her looking at him. This felt so natural and right. He could picture the two of them like this for years to come. At the ding of the chicken shaped kitchen timer he took the lasagne out of the oven and placed it on the counter. 'That smells amazing,' she said impressed. 'Thanks,' he said pleased before asking Angelo to go wash his hands before dinner. 

 

He reached into the oven and removed the tray with the garlic bread on and as he started to place the tray on the counter the tray slipped. As he tried to catch it he caught his hand on the hot metal for a second. 'Shit,' he said dropping the tray onto the counter top. Grace rushed over and immediately grabbed his hand taking a look. 'Let’s get this under a cold tap,’ and she walked him to the sink. 'Here hold it under the cold water for a bit, it should help it.’ ‘Thanks, I'm such a frigging idiot,' he said embarrassed. 'No you're not,' Grace gently smiled. 'The amount of times I've done this, occupational hazard.' She shook her head. 

 

After a few minutes she removed his hand from under the cold running water and took a look. 'It doesn't look too bad, with any luck it won’t blister,' she said and placed a soft kiss on his hand before looking up at him. 'Thank you,' he said and they both knew he wasn't just talking about her help. 'Can I help?' she asked and he smiled. 'Yeah, that'd be great.' He was looking into her into her eyes as he replied.

 

Working together they served the lasagne onto the plates and sliced the garlic bread, chatting as they did. 'It's a good job Angelo's upstairs or that would have cost me another pound,' he laughed, pointing at a jar about a quarter full of coins. She giggled as she looked at the jar label, tt had SWEAR JAR in big black letters written clearly on it. Michael smiled as he told her, 'It's not as bad as last year, it cost us a fortune when he stayed with us for the half term holidays, although half of it was filled by Raph,' he laughed. A moment later Raph walked through the door and Michael shouted up to Angelo to tell him that dinner was ready.

 

They all sat down at the table, Michael having pulled Grace's chair out for her again, all chatting as they ate. 'This is amazing,' Grace enthused after taking a bite of lasagne. 'Thanks' Michael beamed, 'old family recipe.’ After all the plates had been cleared away he brought out his homemade apple and pecan dessert squares with vanilla ice cream to go with the pot of coffee he had put on earlier. 

 

Grace took a bite, they were like heaven. 'Michael these are amazing, honestly they are one of the nicest things I've ever had.' 'Thanks,' he said smiling, 'there's plenty more, if you want I'll give you some to take home later.' 'That would be great,' she said looking into his eyes. He passed around a bowl of mints he had especially for tonight, he didn't want garlic breath if there was a chance he could steal a kiss or two from her.

 

They all moved to the living room. Raph picked up the remote for the stereo and put on some soft music for a bit of back ground noise, they were all chatting as Angelo sat at the coffee table and did the rest of his maths homework.

 

Grace felt so comfortable here; like she was chatting to friends she had known for years. Raph asked her about her job and she told him all about the restaurant and her love of being in the kitchen, and in return Raph told her all about his job in finance and how it was a love hate thing for him. Michael had held her hand as they talked and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Around ten pm Angelo began to yawn.

 

'Uncle Mike would you mind if I went to bed?' he asked just before he yawned again. 'Sure mate, go brush your teeth and I'll be up in a minute.' he said. Angelo put his homework back in his school bag and stood up. 'Goodnight Grace, thanks for having dinner with us,' he said smiling. 'Goodnight Angelo, thanks for having me,' she said smiling and he went upstairs to bed. 

 

Raph’s phone beeped and he smiled. 'Helen wants to meet me for a drink,' he said, 'would you mind if I go?' Michael turned to Grace. 'Raph's been trying to ask her out for weeks but never gets a chance.' 'Then you should go,' Grace responded, 'you never know what could come of it,' she said smiling. 'Thanks guys, catch you later mate, and Grace, it was great to see you again.' Raph said it and he meant it, he could see how happy Michael was around her. 'You too,' she replied touched. 

 

When Raph had gone Michael excused himself for a few minutes to say goodnight to Angelo.

Michael knocked on his door. 'Come in Uncle Mike' he said and Michael walked into the bedroom. Angelo was already in bed and was fighting to keep his eyes open. 'Thanks for tonight mate,' Michael said, 'it means a lot that you like Grace because I'm hoping she'll be around here more.' 'Grace is great Uncle Mike,' he said, 'and anyone can see how happy you make each other.’ Michael smiled and ruffled Angelo's hair. 'Good night mate.' 'Goodnight Uncle Mike.’ Michael closed the door and made his way downstairs to Grace.

 

Grace was still sitting on the couch flicking through a TV guide that had been on the table. 'I hope you don't mind,' she said showing him the magazine. 'Of course not,' he smiled at her. He sat on the couch next to her and she put the magazine back on the table. 'I had a great night tonight Michael,' she said softly. 'So did I,' he replied before leaning in and gently brushing his lips against hers while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She deepened the kiss and he groaned. The two of them moved closer, both of them lost in the kiss.

 

Michael pulled back slightly to take a breath, lost in the moment and said 'I love you'.

 

 

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	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created 
> 
> no copyright infringement intended
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, life got in the way

Michael pulled back slightly to take a breath lost in the moment and said 'I love you'. 

　

Grace smiled with tears in her eyes. She gently stroked the side of Michael's face, 'I love you too.' 

Michael released the breath he'd been holding since he had said those three little words and smiled the most breathtaking smile before leaning in and putting his hand against Grace's soft cheek and kissed her.

They reluctantly pulled away from each other both happy and relieved that they hadn't scared the other off. The clock on the mantle chimed and they both looked at it, wishing they could make it stop, that they could just stay in this perfect moment. Grace took hold of his hand and softly rubbed her fingers, ' I have to go,' she said sadly. 'I know,' he said, not letting her go, he wanted her to stay, he wanted to be with her. He wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms every night and wake up with her every morning. He wanted a life with her. They stood together, still holding hands. They stood at the door and Michael kissed her again before pulling away to look at her with a look that made their parting harder. 

'I wish I could stay,' Grace said. 'Me too' he said, wanting to scoop her up in his arms and carry her to his room but instead he smiled softly to her. 'Can I take you out for dinner tomorrow, Raph is going to be out at a party for someone at work and Angelo is staying at his mates again so we'd have the house to ourselves, umm not that we'd have to do anything, I mean only if you want to?' Grace leaned forward and kissed him. 'Sounds perfect,' she said smiling. Michael grinned back. 'Don't forget to bring your pyjamas.' 'Oh I'm hoping I won't need them,' she said shyly making Michael pull her into his arms again and kissing her. Reluctantly he pulled away. 'I'll order a Taxi and pick you up if that's okay,' he asked nervously. 'Sounds, great' she said and kissed him again.

They said their goodbyes, both knowing if they didn't at that point it would just be harder. They made their way down the stairs and to the front door, holding hands until Michael had to let go to flag down a passing taxi, he wanted to ride with her in the taxi home but she wouldn't let him saying she'd be fine but promising that she would text him as soon as she got in.

As he watched her pull away he felt as though half of him was leaving with her and for him tomorrow couldn't come quick enough.

Grace waved as the Taxi pulled away from the kerb, she didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave him, she had never felt this way and she couldn't wait to see him again.

Michael entered the flat and for the very first time it felt empty, he missed her and he wanted her to be with him. Sighing he locked the door and made his way to his room. He was so happy, she loved him too, and yet he ached for her. He had been so scared to tell her that he loved her, afraid that she would have the same reaction as Edie had and what he had felt for Edie wasn't half of what he felt for Grace but she hadn't rejected him, instead saying the words that he could only hope to hear. He undressed and sliding into bed he picked up his phone and waited for the text that would tell him she was home safe.

Grace paid the taxi driver and stood outside of her building, but she didn't want to go in, she wanted to get back in the taxi and back to Michael, she hated leaving him. She entered her flat and took off her coat, hanging it on the stand by the door. She quickly took her phone out of her pocket and sent a text to Michael. She told him she was back safe and that she missed him and couldn't wait to see him again, she ended the text by telling him again that she loved him and smiling she pressed send. She hadn't written that she was home because it didn't feel like home. She had lived there for a while now and it had always been her place, her home but now standing in the living room it felt different and she had to admit to herself that something was missing no not something, someone, Michael. 

She shook her head, this was crazy, they hadn't known each other that long but it didn't matter. She had had boyfriends before of course but she never really saw a future with any of them. She had pretty much thought that she would be one of those women who would never find the epic love of her life but now everything had changed. She smiled, when she looked at Michael she didn't just see a gorgeous man with the most stunning blue eyes but she also saw her future. She saw them married, chasing their kids and dogs around the park, she saw them growing old together, sharing everything. 

Her phone beeped and she looked down and smiled, even seeing Michael's name made her light up. As she read his text, happy tears formed in her eyes. She read how he missed her, and that he couldn't wait to see her again and that he hadn't rung her because if he did he would want to talk to her all night and that he wanted her to get some rest. He signed off saying that he loved her. Just seeing those words made her heart beat faster. She changed in to her pyjamas and got into bed after setting her alarm. Her last thoughts before she went to bed where that Grace Antonioni had a really nice ring to it.

The following morning Michael leaned against the breakfast bar reading the paper and drinking his coffee. He couldn't take the smile off his face. He looked at his watch and shook his head before heading to Angelo's room and knocking on the door. 'Hurry up mate, you'll be late for school.' The door opened and Angelo stepped out, 'Is there any toast Uncle Mike,' he said yawning as he made his way to the kitchen. 'Yeah it's on the bench but it's probably cold by now,' Michael replied following his nephew into the kitchen. 'Its fine, I like it cold,' Angelo said, stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth before grabbing a glass of juice off the counter and taking a big drink.

Michael grabbed his car keys from the side table and he and Angelo walked out of the door, he would drop Angelo off at school and head to work, he would have just enough time to head to the little jewellery shop near his work and pick up a gift for Grace, he had seen something special and he knew he wanted to get it for her.

 

Just after lunch his phone rang, he picked it up and was surprised to find Tara on the other end telling him she was coming home, there was nothing more she could do to help where she was and that she would be back in two days to pick Angelo up, she asked if Angelo had behaved himself and thanked Michael again for looking after him.

Grace felt like this had been the longest day, the restaurant had been packed and yet it felt like time actually had slowed down. All she wanted to do was go home, take a long hot bubble bath and get ready for her date with Michael. When the end of her shift finally arrived she left with a quick goodbye and made her way home.

Michael stepped into the small family owned jewellers. He wanted to get her something special, something unique, that is why he had chosen this Jewellers, he didn't want something mass produced. He wanted her to have something no one else had and this place specialised in that. 

He walked over to the counter, the owner of the shop an elderly man smiled at him and asked, 'Can I help you?' Michael smiled back. 'Yes, I want something special for my girlfriend, I saw that beautiful diamond pendant in the window, could I take a look at it please?' he asked smiling. 'Of course,' replied the owner and brought the pendant to the counter. Michael looked at it. He could picture it around Grace's neck, the diamond pendant sparkling against her soft skin. He didn't even look at the price tag. 'I'll take it,' he said passing the necklace back to the owner. 'Are you sure sir, it is £150.00?' he asked showing the price tag to him. Michael said he was sure and handed over his credit card. He walked out of the store and took a few steps before looking back. When the time was right he decided, this is where he would buy the engagement ring he would get for Grace.

When he got home he took the box containing the necklace and put it into the pocket of the jacket he would be wearing tonight. He walked into the bathroom and decided he needed a shave. He was very careful; the last thing he wanted was a shaving cut. Once he was finished he stepped into the shower and as the steaming water ran over his skin he decided to wait till they got back to the flat before he gave her the gift.

　

Grace sank back in to the hot water, the lavender bubbles making her relax. She wasn't nervous about tonight, she was excited, she couldn't wait to see Michael and she wanted to look good for him so she decided to pamper herself, starting off with a long hot bubble bath. After soaking in the hot bath for almost an hour, she stepped out and dried off before using the body lotion she had bought. She shivered at the thought of his hands running over her body, of his long skilled fingers caressing her silky soft skin. 

She dried her hair and curled it and she looked into the long mirror and sighed. She didn't know what Michael saw in her but when they were together he made her feel beautiful. She had chosen a lovely lilac shade of nail polish and carefully painted her fingernails and toe nails. Grace looked at the clock; it was almost time to go. She slipped on her best dress, a gorgeous dark blue number that made her skin glow and she put on her shoes and grabbed her bag. She couldn't wait to see him. As she put on her coat her phone rang, she answered it, smiling when she heard his voice.

'Hi beautiful,’ he said, ‘I'm outside in the taxi.' She smiled. 'I'll be right down,' she replied. She left the flat and couldn't wait to be in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended
> 
>  
> 
> Big Thank you to a great sister for encouraging me to carry on with this story and for a great job editing 
> 
> as usual sorry for the delay in posting

Michael stood at the side of the taxi waiting for Grace. He looked up when he heard the door open and stood there speechless. She was stunning and in that second he fell in love with her all over again. She walked over to him, smiling shyly. 'You are so beautiful,' he said and kissed her gently. She was grateful she had spent that little bit extra on the stay put lipstick she was wearing. 'Thank you,' she said then pulled away slightly. 'You look very handsome'. He kissed her once more and took her hand and helped her into the taxi.  
They made their way to the restaurant, Michael holding Grace's hand for the entire journey. He couldn't take his hands off her, she was the most beautiful women he had ever seen and he couldn't believe his luck that she was with him. He squeezed her hand and she smiled a smile that made his heart race. He leaned over and kissed her softly. The taxi pulled up outside the restaurant and he paid the driver, giving him a large tip. He stepped out of the taxi and helped her out.

They walked hand in hand to the door. The door man held open the door, welcoming them and they stepped into the restaurant. It was perfect, it was a small intimate place, with red and white chequered table cloths and candles in old wine bottles nestled in baskets. The lighting was soft and the place had glow from the candles.  
The waitress at the small reception desk asked them for their name and Grace couldn't help but smile at the fact that she thought they were married, Michael didn't correct her, he just squeezed Grace's hand waiting for her to say something and when she didn't, it made his heart race and he couldn't help imaging them coming here in years to come to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They were shown to their table and once they were seated the waitress said she would be right back with a wine list.  
Grace looked around the restaurant and she suddenly had a flash of her and Michael owning something just like this in the future, a place to be run by them and passed down through future generations. She looked up when she felt Michael's hand on her arm. 'Are you okay?' he asked worriedly. 'Yeah, sorry it’s just,’ she hesitated, ‘this place is amazing, I would love to have a place like this off my own someday, I guess I was day dreaming,' she said, and it was the truth but she couldn't tell him that in her day dream she saw them owning somewhere together. 

The waitress returned with two menus, she asked would they like some drinks while they looked at the menu and Michael asked what she was in the mood for. She said she would leave the choice to him and smiled when he ordered a nice bottle of Italian red. The waitress returned again with their wine and asked if they were ready to order.  
Michael asked Grace is she would like to share a starter of Gamberoni Alla Giorgio and she said she would love to, he then asked her what would she like for her main course and she ordered chicken Penne all’Arrabiata telling him it was one her favourites, He smiled and ordered the same. 'It's one of my favourites too,' he said, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. She bit her bottom lip at the touch of his hand. The waitress left them and was smiling as she took their order to the kitchen.  
Grace smiled. 'I love it here, it's perfect and everything smells so good,' she said. 'I've heard great things about this place,' he said. ‘The couple who own it were given the building as a wedding gift and decided to turn it into a restaurant, that was fifty years ago and it's been a family affair ever since, it's now run by their children and their grandchildren also help out, it makes it such a special place and the food is some of the best Italian food in London.' Michael looked at her as if he could see into her soul and for one moment she had to wonder if he had experienced the same day dream as she had. 

They chatted about their day enjoying the wine as they talked. The waitress brought over their starters, a dish of juicy prawns in a white wine sauce with garlic butter, onions and ginger with a sprinkling of herbs. Grace picked up one of the prawns and dipped in to the sauce, she lifted the prawn to her lips and put it in her mouth for a few seconds, moaning slightly at the taste before taking a bite. Michael swallowed hard at the sight, shaking his head he took a prawn of his own and silently they ate.  
The rest of the meal went by in a flash, it had been a great date, they had talked and laughed and it felt so natural. The waitress asked if they would like any dessert and Michael ordered Tiramisu and Grace ordered Sicilian Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake. As the waitress was leaving Grace had a thought. 'Excuse me, would it be possible to get those to take home instead?' The waitress said that wouldn't be a problem. Michael was worried that something was wrong. 'Are you feeling okay?' he asked her. 'Yeah I just thought maybe we could have dessert you know.... later,' she said shyly. Michael just nodded and Grace smiled.  
The waitress brought over two boxes containing the desserts and Michael asked for the bill and if someone could order a taxi for them. When she left Grace took his hand. 'Thank you for tonight, I had a great time.' 'So did I,' he replied and squeezed her hand. The waitress brought their bill and told them that a taxi would be here in a few minutes and Michael placed some money in the leather envelope to cover the cost of the meal as well as a very generous tip. Grace had tried to offer something towards the bill but Michael had insisted that it was his treat. 

They decided to wait outside for the taxi to arrive. Michael pulled Grace into his arms carefully to avoid damaging the dessert boxes and kissed her before pulling away slightly to look into her eyes. 'I love you,' he said rubbing his thumb gently against her bottom lip. 'I love you too,' she replied before leaning up and kissing him again.  
The taxi pulled up outside and he opened the door and took Grace's hand and helped her into the car, sitting down beside her and she put her head on his shoulder and took his hand in hers. They both spent the rest of the journey back to Michael's flat silent but it wasn't that they didn't have anything to say, it was that they were so comfortable with each other nothing needed to be said.  
Once they got back to the flat, Michael took Grace's coat and hung hers up along with his. He took the dessert boxes and placed them on the kitchen counter. They made their way into the living room and took a seat on the couch and pulled Grace close. She ran her fingers through her hair and kissed him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, she moved, straddling him and deepened the kiss. 'Bedroom now,' was all she managed to say and they quickly stood and he took her by the hand and led her to his room.

They moved into his room together, touching each other, Grace's hands in his hair, his hands wrapped around her, running his fingers up her back until he reached the top of her dress then slowly lowering the zip and sliding the dress from her shoulders. She stepped out of it and grabbed hold of his shirt and kissed him hard. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, he moaned at the feeling of her pressed against him and as they looked at each other neither of them had to say a word, they both knew that what they had was something very special.  
They lay there in each other’s arms, every touch had been electric, every kiss filled with unspoken promises and as they made love they both felt that this was it, that each other was what they had been searching for.  
Michael walked into the kitchen wearing only his boxer shorts, Grace followed him wearing his dress shirt and he thought it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. She stood leaning against the kitchen counter, smiling at him as he opened a bottle of red wine and let it breathe while he took two small plates from the cupboard and served out the desserts. She took the plates and forks over to the table as he poured the wine before he joined her, pulling his chair in so it was closer to her.  
She pulled his plate closer to her and cut a small piece before lifting the fork to his lips. 'Open wide,' she said with a naughty grin and then moaned at the look on his face as he tasted the creamy dessert. She wanted him badly again. He picked up his fork and pulling her plate closer to him he repeated her action, feeding her some of the tangy lemon cheese cake and groaning as she licked her lips. 'Michael,' she moaned and they both stood up before he scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom leaving the desserts and wine on the table

Michael looked at the beautiful women lying next to him and couldn't believe how lucky he was. 'I have something for you,' he said and got out of the bed and ran naked into the living room making Grace giggle. He removed the box from his jacket pocket, although he had decided to give it to her when they returned to the flat he had taken it with him just in case the time suddenly felt right to give it to her.

He returned to the bedroom smiling when he looked at her lying in his bed, her hair tousled and he thought that he wanted to see her like this every night. He slipped back under the covers. 'Grace, I love you, I never thought I would meet someone like you, you are wonderful. I saw this and well I thought it would look perfect on you,' he handed her the box and held his breath as she opened it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update, real life has hit pretty hard over the past few months.
> 
> Notes:
> 
>  
> 
> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created
> 
> no copyright infringement intended

Grace opened the box and gasped, she looked at the diamond pendant, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. 'Oh Michael,' she said with tears in her eyes, 'I love it.' She took a closer look and quickly looked up at him. 'Are....are these real diamonds?' 'Yeah,' he said and shrugged, 'I just thought it would look perfect on you.' 'I don't know what to say…I mean...thank you, I love it,' she said and kissed him. He looked at her. 'May I?' he asked. She bit her lip and nodded and he carefully placed the pendant around her neck, slowly running his fingers against her pale skin causing her to shiver. 'I'll go get the wine,' he said knowing she needed a moment to compose herself.  
Running back into the kitchen naked Michael picked up the wine bottle and was about to turn to pick up the glasses when he heard a voice behind him. 'For fuck sake DO NOT turn around.’ Startled he spun around before quickly covering himself up with the tea towel feeling completely embarrassed as his sister stood there with her hands over her eyes. 'Lauren! I umm,' he said unable to speak properly. Lauren just shook her head before turning around and walking to the door. She opened it and stopped. 'I'll be back in an hour, please be wearing clothes,' she said cringing. She loved her brother but really did not want to see anymore of him than she had just done.

Grace could hear a women’s voice only she couldn't hear what was being said, a couple of minutes later Michael ran back into the bedroom, a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses and a tea towel in his hand. He shook his head as Grace looked at him. ‘Well I don't think I can ever look my sister in the eye again,' he said embarrassed. Grace tried not to smile. 'You mean she saw you in all your glory,' she said trying to keep the amusement out of her voice? 'You could say that,' he said chuckling. Grace giggled. 'I'm sorry.' she said as he placed the wine and glasses on the side table, throwing the tea towel on to a nearby chair and leaning over the bed to kiss her. 'It was worth it,' he said looking at her with a look of pure love. He kissed her once more. 'We better get dressed, Lauren will be back soon and I really want you to meet her,' he said softly. 'I'd like that,' she said.

They were both dressed and were sitting in the kitchen when Lauren walked back into the apartment with her hand over her eyes. 'Is it safe to look,' she asked grinning? Michael chuckled. 'Very funny, yes it's safe.' Lauren walked into the kitchen and Grace stood up. 'Lauren this is my girlfriend Grace, Grace this is my sister Lauren, she thinks she's a comedian,’ he said with a look shaking his head and grinning.  
Lauren walked over to Grace and held out her hand and as Grace shook it, Lauren looked at her. 'Thank you, it's good to see him smile and I know that is because of you, he was a miserable fucker before he met you,' she said turning to look at Michael and sticking her tongue out at him. 'Hey,' he said smiling, 'I wasn't that bad.' She just rolled her eyes at him, 'and on that note I'm off,' she said grabbing her jacket from the back of the chair where she had left it earlier. 'Where are you going,' he asked as Lauren made her way out the door? 'Party in Whitechapel, don't wait up,' she said and then closed the door behind her. Michael looked at Grace. 'So that was my sister,' he said looking slightly worried. 'I like her,' Grace said smiling before looking at him seriously. 'Michael, what did Lauren mean when she said you had been miserable' she asked? Michael didn't want to lie to her, he was worried about telling her about Edie but he didn't want anything to stand between them, he took a deep breath.

'I was involved with someone last year, her name was Edie, she lived in New York and we met when she came to London on a trip with her friend. We hit it off and got involved and well it wasn't easy, she lived in New York, I lived here and she had all these issues with her ex and her friends, and well they didn't like me when she finally told them about me. I didn't know about her ex who wanted her back and she wasn't the easiest person to be with, she was angry a lot, we had quite a few fights,' he said looking at her. 'Go on,' she said knowing that this wasn't the end of the story. He took another deep breath. 'We hadn't been together long but I had fallen for her and I asked her to marry me, she said no and I flew home. She came over here to patch things up but we had another big fight and she accused me of trying to control her like her abusive father had done. She left and I haven't seen or heard from her since,' he said and waited. He waited for Grace to stand up, take her coat and leave.

Grace stood and walked over to him and taking his cheek in her hand she pulled his face down slightly and brushed her lips against his. 'No offence,' she said, 'but your ex sounds like a bitch and an idiot for not appreciating what she had.' Michael closed his eyes and dropped his head. 'Hey,' she said stroking his face, 'I'm not going anywhere, I love you Michael and I think if we both want this it could be something really great and I'm willing to put the work and time in to make it happen.' 'I want this,' he said, 'and I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy,' he said covering her hand that was on his cheek with his own, 'I love you Grace,' and kissed her before pulling her close and thanking the stars for the amazing women in his arms.  
　  
Michael woke and looked at the red hair lying on his chest and he smiled and closed his eyes again. Last night he had been so scared when he told Grace about Edie and so surprised and happy when she didn't walk out. He had been thinking about what Grace had said and he finally realised that his relationship with Edie had been toxic and that she hadn't been good for him, unlike the woman asleep in his arms. He felt her stir and she lifted her head and smiled at him sleepily. 'Morning,' she said. 'Morning,' he replied and kissed her softly. She looked at him, 'Are you ok,' she asked and he gave her a beautiful genuine smile?’ 'Yeah, I really am,' he said and kissed her again. The kiss started out slowly and Grace moaned. Michael rolled them so she was carefully lying underneath him then he shifted slightly and gazed down at her face as she bit her lip shyly. It drove him crazy, he looked at her with love and lust in his eyes and she leaned up and kissed him, wrapping her leg around his waist and pulling him close. She moaned again as she felt his hardness press against her and it just became about the two of them as the rest of the world melted away.  
　  
Two hours later Grace stood in the kitchen and tossed a pancake in the small pan. Michael watched her. 'Are you sure you don't want me to do that, you are a guest,' he asked smiling? She grinned back at him. 'I don't mind, I mean after what you just gave me it's the least I can do,' she said blushing. Smiling, he grinned. 'Oh it was my pleasure,' he said giving her a look that shot straight to her core. She slid the last pancake on to the plate and walked over to the table he had already set and along with the plates and knives and forks there was a jug of warm maple syrup. She had a sudden flash of licking it off him and blushing slightly she busied herself serving up the pancakes and pouring over the warm sweet syrup. Dabbing it from the side of the jug with her finger, she was just about to wipe it on a napkin when Michael took hold of her hand and not taking his eyes off her he slowly licked the syrup away before sucking slightly triggering a soft moan from her. He looked at her. 'Can these be reheated,' he asked looking at the pancakes? She nodded and he took hold of her hand as they ran up the stairs to his bedroom.  
　  
Grace rolled off him, they were both breathless but smiling, she swore every time they were together it got even better. She turned on her side and looked at him; he turned his head to look back. 'You are amazing,' he said. She blushed and he thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. 'I think you are amazing too,' she said as he pulled her close and holding each other they both drifted into a deep sleep.

The following morning while Grace took a shower she had to kick him out as if he had stayed then she would never have finished getting clean. Michael stood in the kitchen while he waited for the coffee machine to do its thing. The flat was quiet with Raph crashing on his friend’s couch; no doubt after the probably very drunken party they had held and Angelo was still at his friend’s house. He looked around and imagined little children playing, a small dark haired boy with blue eyes and a little girl with flaming red hair, emerald eyes and a puppy yapping while they played. He wanted that.

The door opened and Grace stepped out. 'So I don't have to work today,' she said looking at him in a way that made him weak in the knees, 'do you want to keep me company?' She walked over to him and he took her into his arms. 'Umm, I'm sure we could find some way to occupy our time, maybe make pancakes again,' he said as he leaned down to kiss her. 'Actually, I just realised we've run out of milk. I'll quickly nip along to the local shop, do you need anything?' he asked and she shook her head. 'I won’t be long,’ he said before quickly kissing her again and grabbing his coat. 'Make yourself at home,' he called as he stepped out of the door.

Grace wandered around the flat for a while before moving into the living room and sitting down on the sofa as she picked up the TV remote and turned the telly on before flicking through the channels. She stopped at Escape to The Country, she liked this show, she loved to see what different houses the country had to offer, as a city girl there was always a part of her fascinated at how peaceful country life seemed. She was about ten minutes into the show when the intercom buzzed. She wondered if she should answer it when it buzzed again this time longer. She walked over and pushed the little button on the speaker. 'Hello,' she said and there was a pause before a women’s voice came over the speaker, a women with an American accent. 'Hello I'm looking for Michael,' she said and Grace's heart dropped as she realised who it was.  
　


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter
> 
>  
> 
> All Characters belong to Simon Burke and Anya Camilleri except for Grace and a few minor characters I created 
> 
> no Copy wright infringement intended

Michael 

 

Chapter 12

 

Grace took a deep breath. 'Michael isn't here at the moment, do you want to leave a message?' she said, that wasn’t what she wanted to say, she wanted to tell the women on the other end of the intercom to go and not come back, that Michael was happy and to just leave him and them alone, but she couldn't. As much as she loved Michael and she knew he loved her, it wasn't her place to tell Edie to leave. After a moment Edie replied, ‘Just tell him Edie called and I’ll call back later,’ and with that she left and Grace stood there and closed her eyes. Opening her eyes she began to pace. She would have to tell Michael that she had called because she knew that she would be back and that she would tell him. She also knew that it would be better if Michael was told she was back rather than having her just turn up out of the blue. Grace made herself stop pacing and sat down on the couch, she knew Michael loved her and she loved him. She just hoped it would be enough.

Michael opened the door and walked in to the flat. ‘I’m back,’ he called throwing his keys on to the side table before making his way into the kitchen and putting the milk down on the counter top. He walked into the living room with a beautiful bunch of flowers for Grace that he had bought from the small florist down the street. He stopped when he saw the look on her face ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked worriedly. Grace looked at him. ‘You had a visitor, Edie called round.’ Michael immediately put the flowers on the table and took a seat next to her and took her hand. ‘Grace, I have no idea why she called but I don’t care, she is my past but you, you are my present and I hope my future, we have something amazing and I don’t want to lose that. I love you Grace and when I look at my life I want you in it, now I know what my life is like with you I don’t want to even imagine it without you.’ 

Grace leaned forward and kissed him. ‘I love you too and I can’t imagine my life without you either Michael, she said she would call back. To be honest I wanted to tell her to not come back, that you were happy and she should stay away but it didn’t seem my place to.’ ‘You should have,’ he said, ‘I’ll make sure she knows. I can’t lose you Grace.’ She brushed her hand along the side of his face, ‘You won’t,’ she said, and he pulled her on to his lap and she put her head against his neck. ‘I got you some flowers,’ he said pointing at the table. ‘Thank you, they’re beautiful,’ she said. She stood up. ‘Right, pancakes then,’ she said and he laughed and pulled her close. ‘Sounds good,’ and kissed her before she dragged him into the kitchen.

 

After pancakes they sat in the living room cuddled up on the couch mindlessly flicking through the channels, neither really bothered about watching something, just enjoying being together. Michael took Grace’s hand and threaded his fingers in hers before bringing their joined hands up and kissing the back of hers. Grace reached over with her free hand and took the remote and muted the sound. Michael looked at her before she pushed him back so he was now lying back on the couch; leaning into him she began to brush her lips against his neck. As his hands ran against her thighs she pushed herself against him, he moaned and was just about to run his hands under her shirt when he heard the front door open and then close. He looked at the clock. ‘Shit, I didn’t realise it was that time, that’ll be Angelo.’ Grace quickly moved and sat on the couch while Michael tried to calm himself down; he sat back on the couch, and waited for Angelo as Grace tried not to giggle at the look on his face.

‘Alright Uncle Mike, hi Grace,’ Angelo said as he threw his school bag on the floor and his jacket over the chair. ‘Hey mate,’ Michael said, ‘hang it up,’ and he pointed to the jacket. Oh right,’ Angelo said and picked up the jacket. ‘So Uncle Mike what’s for tea tonight?’ he asked before taking out his homework and putting it on the table. ‘Can we have a Chinese?’ he said and Michael laughed. ’Alright, actually mate there is something I wanted to talk to you about, your mum is going to pick you up tomorrow.’ Angelo’s face lit up. ‘I’ve really missed her,’ he said quietly. ‘I know mate,’ Michael said, ‘so how about we get a take away and watch a film tonight?’ ‘Yeah cool uncle Mike, Grace is going to stay too right?’ he asked looking at her. ‘Sure if that’s ok I’d love to,’ she said smiling. Although she hadn’t known Michael for that long she already felt like she had been accepted by his family and she felt truly blessed.

Raph had come back as they took a look at the Chinese takeaway menus and Angelo begged him to join them. As they decided what food everyone wanted Michael smiled at Grace, this is what he wanted, he wanted a family and he wanted it with Grace, he was head over heels and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

Grace helped lay the table as Michael and Raph chatted and got the drinks ready while Angelo finished his homework in his room. The intercom buzzed and Raph went to answer it and tell the delivery driver that he would be right down, however the voice on the other end was not the driver. ‘Hi, it’s Edie, is Michael there?’ she asked and Raph looked at Michael. Grace squeezed his hand, ‘Go talk to her,’ she said with a small smile. He kissed her and nodded to Raph who pressed the button and told Edie that Michael was on his way.

Michael made his way down the stairs and took a deep breath before he opened the door. ‘Edie hi,’ he said, ‘why are you here?’ She looked at him. ‘Hi Michael, I was in town and well I know we didn’t exactly part on the best terms, but I figured I’d call and maybe we could see each other you know while I’m here, doesn’t have to be a big thing, we we’re pretty great together in that area and well I figured why not while I was in town,’ she repeated. She moved to step through the door but Michael stopped her. ‘What are you doing, are you crazy, why after how you treated me did you ever think I would want anything to do with you? Look Edie, it was never meant to work between us, we wanted completely different things and well I found someone amazing who I love and who loves and respects me so you should just go.’

Grace and Raph were in the living room, Grace sitting nervously waiting for Michael. Raph looked at her. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll tell her to get lost, he loves you Grace’ he said smiling. ‘I know,’ she said and nodded, neither of them noticed Angelo coming out of his room.

Angelo saw that the front door was open and figured his Uncle Mike had gone to get the food from the driver so he quickly made his way downstairs to help when he heard voices, including an American one he recognised.

‘Look Michael, don’t be stupid, whoever she is tell her you’re sorry and that you made a mistake, then we can have some fun, I’m sure she is some slut you picked up and don’t really care for and I’m me and, I’m only here for a few days so quit being awkward and let me past,’ she said in a nasty tone. Michael was just about to say something when the door opened wide. He looked up and saw Angelo standing there. He was about to tell Angelo to go wait for him back upstairs when Angelo passed him and stood right in front of Edie.

‘Look Edie,’ Angelo said in a firm voice, ‘Uncle Mike told you to go so go, he doesn’t need a cow like you trying to ruin things between him and Grace and Grace is worth a million times more than you, she loves him and treats him right unlike you, she is kind and sweet not a selfish, nasty piece of work who doesn’t care who she hurts as long as she gets what she wants so do one ok?’

Edie looked shocked. ‘Michael are you going to let him talk to me like that?’ she asked. ‘You heard him,’ Michael replied, ‘go do one and don’t come back and never talk about my Grace like that again.’ Edie turned and stormed down the road as Michael and Angelo stood inside and closed the door. Michael looked at him. ‘Now you know you shouldn’t really speak to adults like that but it’s ok just this once, thanks mate you really stood up for Grace and that means so much.’ ‘She’s great,’ Angelo said, ‘and I hope she’ll be my Aunty someday and besides, you’ve got to stick up for family.’ 

Michael looked at his nephew and had never felt prouder.


End file.
